Dark Fascination
by Ashurato
Summary: AU. 'Although you are only a half-mystic, you are also my son and the heir to the Mystic Region of Facinaturu. There shall be no other, and the Prince of All Mystics is crowned today. That is you, beautiful Harry.' Pairings: DH RH SH OthersH RHe
1. Beautiful Is My Loneliness

Dark Fascination

  


by Asurahime

  


  


~*~*~*~

Chapter One: 

~*~*~*~

  


_Wishing on a dream that seems far off_

_Hoping that it will come today_

_Into the starlit night_

_Foolish dreamers turn their gaze_

_Waiting on a shooting star_

  


_But what if that star is not to come?_

_Will their dreams fade to nothing?_

_When the horizon darkens most_

_We all need to believe there is hope_

  


_Is an angel watching closely over me?_

_Can there be a guiding light I've yet to see?_

_I know my heart should guide me but_

_There's a hole within my soul_

  


_What will fill this emptiness inside of me?_

_Am I too be satisfied without knowing?_

_I wish then for a change to see_

_Now all I need..._

  


_desperately_

  


~*~*~*~

  


_Is my star to come?_

  


I used to listen to a woman's quiet voice as she sang to me when I was young. Lulling me to sleep or stopping my tears, her serene demeanor touched the darkness of the world which surrounded me. Brilliance and dusk alternated every time I woke, but other than the woman's song, I was only aware of the startling green of her eyes. Sadly, it was the same color of reflected light which silenced her forever. Emerald was then replaced by crimson... or perhaps that was just the agony which exploded in my eyes and my forehead at the shrill screech of another.

  


The new rasping voice was... serpentine. No other words could have described it. "This is not the end of me, Harry Potter. My body may be destroyed, but my spirit will live on. I will not rest until the wound of that scar runs deeper than the false emotion called love. No matter if you live on and forget this moment, know that you belong to me. You are mine."

  


Indeed we have been connected since that moment: by blood, by hatred, and a beautiful, exquisite death. But... the only thing constant is change and blood calls out for power just as life calls out for love. There is nothing that I desire--not power, wisdom, or fame--but reason. I need a purpose, a goal which would give me a place in my life. I have no crime but this is my punishment. I have my wings but I am shackled to the ground. I can see but the world is engulfed in darkness.

  


I never did hear the red-haired lady sing to me again... This is my story.

  


~*~*~*~

  


"Wake up, cousin! Mum wants you to run an errand to the Aunt Marge's house!"

  


Harry Potter's eyes opened rapidly from troubled sleep as Dudley's voice rang through his ears like a knife, sharp and commanding. Putting on his taped up glasses slowly, the seventeen-year-old boy ran a pale, shaking hand through his long, midnight-colored hair, exposing a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. He sighed before stepping out of bed and tiredly pushed the door of the smallest bedroom open. The Dursleys would have kept him in the cupboard beneath the stairs, but after he turned thirteen, they grudgingly admitted that he could no longer fit in the small space.

  


Still, nothing had changed. Although there was not a mark on his immaculately pale skin, everyday was still torture for Harry. Because he has never been able to eat all he wanted, Harry grew up slim and fey-like. It was almost to the point where he could be called effeminate if it wasn't for the fact that he had grown stronger after being forced to do the most tiring housework for so many years. Unfortunately, Harry was not one to be rebellious with his aunt, uncle, and cousin. He could leave anytime he wanted, but there is absolutely no place he could go.

  


Petunia Dursley glared at her nephew as he entered the kitchen, tying back his raven hair with a piece of twine. No matter how much they try to cut the irritating strands, they always grew back with a vengeance. Thus, they had finally ignored it. Two emerald eyes peered questioningly into her own and Petunia's brows furrowed into a glare as she tossed a piece of hard bread and cheese to Harry. "That is all you are going to get tonight. Dudley and Vernon already had dinner and it is your own fault for being so greedy in the first place."

  


Harry caught the pieces and started eating them without complaint. That was another thing which disgusted the Dursley family. They knew quite well how terribly they were treating Harry, but his lack of complaints towards their provocation angered them to the extreme. Harry understood this game and played his cards as well as he could. He found out long ago that if he did not express any resentment or pathos, they would leave him alone. "Yes, Aunt Petunia. Dudley said that you had an errand for me?" 

  


Harry could just feel Dudley's beady little eyes boring into the back of his neck with a barely-concealed hunger. It was no secret that Harry was beautiful with his silky hair, bright jade eyes, and milky complexion. There was just something about him and his innocence that Dudley wanted to tarnish and mark. Thankfully, he never acted and Harry remained oblivious to his intent.

  


The glare towards him increased ten-fold as Petunia shoved a package into his waiting arms. "Here, you lazy boy. Take this to Marge across town and don't bother her with your nonsense. I expect you back here in two hours. If you're not here by then, you won't get any meals for the next five days, do you understand?"

  


"Yes, Aunt Petunia," Harry nodded as he put on his worn out shoes and walked out the door, squinting as dusky twilight was cut by lamplight, spearing his eyes with radiant beams of white. It was always "lazy boy" or something similar. Never in is his life has Harry ever recalled the Dursleys call him by his first name... it was as if he didn't even deserve that. Perhaps he didn't... It was strange to be related to Petunia Dursley, for her flat blue eyes were nothing like the vibrant leaf-green of his own. His were similar only to a shade he remembers from a distant dream. Harry wished that his parents didn't die in a car crash, if only for him to see how their eyes were like.

  


But there was another pair he remembered. A serpentine voice and dark ruby eyes which bore into his own like freshly spilt blood from one's heart had gazed intently into his own. A scent of death and magic had permeated the air at that memory, so similar to this very moment. As Harry reached an empty crossroads, he was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he didn't notice a crimson pair of eyes fix themselves upon him.

  


"What in the--" A dark shadow fell upon Harry and his green eyes dilated upon seeing a black, ghostly contraption bearing upon him at an extremely high speed. He could do nothing but stare frozen in shock, and the last words to leave his parted lips were: "What on earth is a carri--"

  


Then, Harry knew no more as a haze of pain, red, and black overtook his world. 

  


_I'm dying..._

  


~*~*~*~

  


A man with dark blonde hair pulled on the reins of the two black stallions, stopping them from moving further after running over an unsuspecting human. The mystic sneered with distaste as he leapt from the driver's seat and on to the blood-stained ground. His ornate black and silver robes reflected no light like his dark red eyes, and his presence radiated menace and bloodlust. Stepping around the carriage, he stood before the figure of the human he ran over and turned him over with his boots. Satisfied that the boy, no young man was dead, the mystic turned back to leave.

  


"Blaise, stop."

  


An authoritatively captivating voice that could have been either a man's or a woman's sounded from within the black carriage. "Why have we stopped?"

  


Blaise turned towards the door and bowed low even if he could not see the person within. "I beg for your forgiveness for the halt, My Lord. But while I had been driving, a human had gotten in the way of the horses and had gotten trampled to death. We shall continue now if you wish."

  


A long moment lasted before the musical voice spoke again. "A human? Is it a male or female?"

  


"It was difficult to tell from a distance, My Lord, but I discern that the human was definitely male."

  


"How old?"

  


"He was around his teenage years, My Lord. I believe around sixteen or seventeen years old."

  


"..........."

  


"My Lord?"

  


"How does he look like?"

  


"Pale white skin, slim build, long raven hair, and eyes that are greener than the glowing crystals of Facinaturu. All in all, he was not horrible to look at for a miserable human."

  


"..................."

  


Straightening up and walking towards the dead human once again, Blaise reached down and drew bloodied locks from the boy's forehead. "My Lord, this one has a mark for death. It seems as though he had been spelled, but another's life was sacrificed to save his." Red eyes flickered back up to look towards the being within the impenetrable carriage.

  


"Indeed. I felt his despair, his anger, his apathy, and his loneliness. All terribly useful emotions if he could harness them to his will. His despair could crumble the lively region of Koorong. His anger could burn the fruitful region of Kyo. His apathy could freeze the majestic region of the Magic Kingdom. His loneliness could be the divining force which could shape the region of Facinaturu."

  


Blaise turned white when he realized what his Lord was referring to. He knew that the other was simply speaking to himself, but the implication of the words floored him at that instant. Hissing, Blaise drew back his hand from the young man's forehead as though he had been burned. "What shall we do with him, My Lord?"

  


A long silence stretched between them as the black horses pawed the ground violently, their eyes wild with surprise and fear at the silver moon. It was now the deepest, darkest midnight. Mists rose up from the ground and flowed with the cold wind to light the path for the insecure. The fragrance of roses traveled with the wind but the scent of blood which hung heavily in the air dispelled any illusions of a beautiful night.

  


This was a scene of death. The blood which stained the ground, the hooves of the horses, and the wheels of the carriage were quickly drying into the color of dried rose petals. It was beautiful, but how far will the darkness travel?

  


"We're taking him."

  


Bowing in acquiescence, the blonde-haired mystic glanced at the driver's seat and held out a gloved hand. A second later, a black satin cloak was in his hand. Blaise's lips were white with distaste as he wrapped up the dead body with the cloak, carefully avoiding getting any human blood on his robes. However, the sight of the crimson flow forced him to realize how parched his throat was. He told himself that as soon as they reached Chateau Aiguille, he will rip into the throat of the first creature unfortunate enough to face him in battle and suck its power dry.

  


"Give him to me," said the voice before the door of the carriage opened. Blaise picked up the corpse and brought it next to the door. He then dropped his arms and waited until the body had been safely floated into the carriage with his Lord. "We shall not search for Zero Princess any longer today, Blaise. This finding is more important. Return to Facinaturu."

  


"As you command, Charm Lord Severus." Hiding a sigh of relief, Blaise leapt back into the driver's seat and grabbed the reins, viciously snapping them to set the horses moving once again. As the black carriage faded into the night, all that was left behind were the twisted and cracked pieces of metal and shards of what used to be someone's glasses lying in a pool of blood.

  


If one would have listened closely he or she would have been able to hear a melodic whisper beyond the sharp sound of cracking glass. "_You are mine._"

  


  


~*~*~*~

To be continued...

~*~*~*~

  


  


Disclaimer: 

  


This is my first slash story ever, so I am sorry if it offends anyone. I decided to cross two things I really love, which are the Harry Potter universe and the Saga Frontier universe into a crossover-AU work of fiction. Thus, I own nothing. I'm not really too certain about writing this piece since this is a whole new frontier for me. Please bear with me and I hope you enjoy reading. I don't really know what the final pairing would be for this, but trust that there would be a lot on the way. Perhaps someone could give me some suggestions?

  


  


Notes:

  


~A **mystic** is similar to a vampire. However, mystics are free to teleport anywhere and are magnificent fighters. They can use either a sword, glove, or boots built from their own "mystical energy" to absorb the power of another. By taking another's blood, they can give eternal life by giving mysticism if they wish. However, if they give some of their own blood, the being given the blood is incomplete with tainted blood. Note that mystic blood is blue.

  


~**The Lord of All Mystics** is just as it says and is often referred to as **Charm Lord**. Not many beings, mystic or human can resist the pull of his charisma and often are immediately fascinated with him. The Charm Lord of this story also has 100 princesses in his "harem." He is attracted to beauty and doesn't necessarily swing one way. Trust that you will see familiar names all the time.

  


~Aside from Harry, the male characters of this story are free to move around and aren't constrained as the females. You guys will understand later.

  


~Voldemort, Death Eaters, Hogwarts, and other more familiar Harry Potter aspects are in my story, but not for this first part.

  


~Am I going too fast? Too slow? How is it so far? There isn't much slash now, but I have to build up to that. Please be patient with me, but I have to move in this pace to immerse myself into the story. After all, I don't really like a story when two people immediately fall in love without having a reason to. This is especially common in Draco and Harry stories where they may start out with a crush or are already in love without any true explanation. I admit that I love reading them, but I am sorry to say that it is difficult for me to believe them unless they are of an alternate reality.


	2. Darkness Runs Beneath

Dark Fascination

  


by Asurahime

  


  


~*~*~*~

Chapter Two 

~*~*~*~

  


  


Is it really possible for someone like me to believe in destiny? I was destined to destroy all that is evil. I was destined to bring about a bright new future for an entire world filled with magic. I was destined to bring about a revolution for the side of Light. I was a Phoenix destined to fly into the heart of darkness, bearing light and heat to melt that frozen wasteland. 

  


Was.

  


Such a romantic dream would be fitting if I believed one word of it.

  


Evil hides behind the most congenial of masks, not only those twisted with fury and malevolence. A world filled with magic may be the Gate leading to the depths of Hell. A revolution for the side of Light can easily be turned into a holocaust for the Dark. And the phoenix's wings can be easily clipped and its ashes scattered to the four winds. There is no light without darkness; no good without evil; no life without death; no love without hate... only fate can dictate my life. But what if destiny's only purpose is to deceive my heart? I would be unwilling to see the truth, for can't truth be a deception as well?

  


My question is left unanswered and the future breaks my heart. But I will fall before I would enjoy the sad war. I would cry to heaven before I would rule the darkness.

  


But now, I wait to waken from this slumber... My half-life.

  


My cursed life.

  


~*~*~*~

  


Mercury eyes snapped open in the darkness of the nighttime sky. The figure to whom the eyes belonged to gripped the hilt of his blade tighter in attention and his long, platinum-blonde hair fell into his eyes to hide the suspicion deep within them. A second later, the scowl on his face intensified as the sound of horses emanated through the crystal walls of Chateau Aiguille, the Castle of Needles, in the Mystic Region of Facinaturu.

  


The castle resembled a gigantic tree, but twisted, menacing, and hostile to all humans who dared to step within its confines. The sun never shone in the region, bathing it in obscurity if not for the glowing green diamonds which gave off an eerie, flickering light. Amazingly, the castle was not without beauty, for legions of roses entwined themselves around the forbidding figure. In truth, it was breath-takingly beautiful.

  


Lord Draco, the Black Wing, Prince of Darkness and Messenger of Charm Lord Severus, extended raven-colored wings and flew down from the top of a column. His dark blue and silver robes melted into the background of the sky, but his pale complexion, silver hair, and pale eyes had a soft, ethereal glow in the crystal-light. He landed next to a taller man with light viridian hair, blue eyes, and orange Victorian robes. "How are you doing, Draco? Everything is well, I hope."

  


These words did not sweeten Draco's countenance. If anything, it made him more bitter. He had never liked the eccentric Cedric, who never seemed to be down, and this moment was of no difference. Fortunately, the carriage stopped in front of them before Draco could lash out at his green-haired companion. "Mind your own business, Cedric."

  


Cedric smiled, keeping his eyes on the parting mists and reached into his robes, pulling out a delicate black rose. One would think that something so fine and innocent such as the flower would be harmless, but Draco knew that if one looked more closely, the bottom of the rose had a poison-tipped blade. 

  


As the carriage rolled in, Blaise jumped out from the driver's bench gracefully, landing in front of the two other men. His crimson eyes stared hatefully into silver and sapphire before he took his place next to Cedric grudgingly. He held out his hand to the side and a black scythe materialized in it. 

  


From within the black buggy, crimson eyes sparkled with amusement and thin lips twisted into a shadow of a smile. All three of the beautiful young men were so different, and their wills often clashed into sparks of battle. If the three of them did not have eternal life, each one of them would have already been dead, cut down by the others' weapon a long time ago. Yet, as long as they serve him faithfully, Charm Lord could care less of what they do.

  


"How goes the search, My Lord?" asked Cedric, his voice not betraying any emotion aside from thoughtful curiosity.

  


"It was as fruitless as it has been for years, Black Knight. But it does not matter, for Zero Princess is the least of my concerns today," the voice took on a lilting quality. It was almost as if Charm Lord was looking forward to this day with pleasure for a very long time. He kept on gazing wistfully at a lighted opening in the very center of the towering Castle of Needles. "I can feel the power for fascination and destruction running rampant in another's veins today. I shall be in the Throne Room."

  


Then, nothing more was in front of the three mystics aside from rose-scented air and green-lighted mists. Blaise, Draco, and Cedric stood in stasis, none of them quite certain of what just happened. But Cedric's calm voice shattered the silence around them by asking: "What does Lord Severus mean?"

  


Blaise tightened his hold on his deadly scythe and spared his two companions a side-glance. "Charm Lord obviously did not care whether we found Zero Princess today or not. About half-way through our search, he stopped giving orders and seemed to be laughing to himself. I think that if an entire human city blew up in front of us, Lord Severus wouldn't have even blinked," he then realized that he was actually talking civilly to the others and snapped back. "I don't even know why I'm talking to the two of you. Perhaps it's just because Charm Lord's strange behavior is getting to me."

  


Grey eyes glared into vermilion. "You are the one who is running off at the mouth, Blaise."

  


This was a fine time for Cedric to play mediator. He could still remember when he had to break up a battle with these two and another rash mystic. Unfortunate to say that the ending was not aesthetically pleasing. "Did you hear the Lord say anything else while you were out? Or did something out of the ordinary happen?"

  


Silence greeted his query, but the anger in Blaise's eyes softened into confusion. "............"

  


Draco was silent as well as his eyes strayed to the heart of the castle. A cold breeze blew through the courtyard, ruffling their cloaks and making a shiver run through their spines. Suddenly, each of them felt as if someone had just pulled on the strings of their hearts. The power was irresistible to ignore, but deadly to trifle with. It resembled Cedric's rose: lovely, but with piercing thorns that are capable of drawing blood and causing pain. 

  


Cedric then siezed Blaise by the collar and brought him closer. Sapphire eyes flashed wrathfully into glazed red eyes, flat with fear and undeniable fascination. "Listen to me now, Blaise," hissed Cedric in a voice that was more poisonous than any the other two had ever heard from him. It was as if he was possessed or wild with desperation. "What else had Lord Severus said today. The Black Wing and I _know_ as well as you do that something happened today that you are not telling us. Speak, Hunter Knight, or I will not hesitate in cutting out your tongue, Charm Lord be damned."

  


Draco stepped back from them in shock before he glowered and started fading out of existence. But before he had gone, he heard Blaise's reply.

  


".... He said,_ 'The Prince of All Mystics is to be crowned today.' _ But... that can't be..."

  


~*~*~*~

  


_I'm dying..._

  


Verdant eyes fluttered open to reveal a softly glowing light. Harry smiled without humor, thinking that if death was like this, it wasn't so bad. Then a flash of horse's hooves, savage eyes and feral teeth made Harry sit up in surprise, panting with terror. He then curled himself into a ball, shivering not from the chilly winds fluttering through the windows but from mental and physical exhaustion. "Huff... a dream... but it seemed so real..."

  


"What is this? My shirt's torn and... is this a blood stain?" Bewildered, Harry tried to rise to his feet only to collapse painfully before he could take more than two steps. "What is wrong with me?"

  


To his surprise, two gloved hands supported Harry from behind, almost making his jump out of his skin at the suddenness of it. "I see that you are awake. Humans wake up quickly."

  


The green-eyed boy wrenched himself away from the other's grasp. "Where am I? Is this a hospital?"

  


Empty laughter greeted those questions, but Harry found himself staring at a young man about his age with white-blonde hair and platinum eyes. "I'm not here to answer your questions but to report when you are awake. Refrain from asking me anything at the moment, for it will be clearer to you later." 

  


"I don't think I'm going to last very much longer like this," came a hushed whisper from dry lips. Harry almost wished that he was back with the Dursleys rather than beneath the ferocious gaze of the strange _inhuman_ being before him. But the gaze softened the tiniest fraction before his companion gave him a crystal vial containing a clear liquid. "Drink this. Don't worry, it's not poison."

  


Without comment, Harry tipped the vial into his mouth and drank the contents down. As soon as the sweet, cold potion touched his lips, the raven-haired boy felt his strength return to him. "Thank you, but... why am I here?"

  


"You still don't know what happened, do you? You're in Facinaturu, a region ruled by Severus," snapped the other before he started fading into thin air.

  


Harry set the glass vial down quickly and tried to grab on to him. Although he did not trust the royal-blue robed figure, it was better than being alone. "Wait... who's Seve--...... Gone..." A chill went up his spine as he tried to process just what happened. "Let me just try to put some sense into this. The last thing I remember was that Aunt Petunia sent me on a errand to Aunt Marge. On the way there, I was run over by a carriage and... wait a minute. What's a carriage doing in this day and age?"

  


It was not until now that Harry realized that his surroundings look nothing like any hospital he has ever been to. It was lavish and majestic with roses blooming all over the place. He felt very uncomfortable sleeping on silk sheets with his dirty, bloody clothes. Then as accidentally looked into a mirror, it hit him that there was something missing. He was paler than normal with skin that was almost the color of a full moon. Harry's long hair was now as black as onxy with faint highlights of green. But his eyes were more brilliantly piercing than normal because his glasses were gone. It then occurred to him that he could see clearly without them. "How could this be? I must still be dreaming... Well, I'm not going to get anywhere by staying here. I better find out where I am first."

  


Finally getting on his feet, Harry managed to take a few steps forward before remembering how to move his feet. He walked out of the room hesitantly and was surprised to find himself in another, larger room. What startled him was the presence of several flower-entwined coffins in the room. Each coffin was circled by a different flower: carnations, gentians, plumerias, and many others, but Harry was not fooled by their lovely appearances.

  


"This is just too surreal," he said as he shakily stepped up to one of the coffins. After peering at the face of what turned out to be a glass coffin, Harry hurriedly backed away upon seeing the inhabitant. "There are... people sleeping in here!!"

  


Running towards an exit which showed a starless, moonless night, Harry Potter descended down a short flight of stairs. Desperate to escape, he ran until he came upon a pavilion with a large rose design on the tile floor. "People in this place just love roses, don't they?" The green-eyed boy looked around and his spirits rose when he realized that the gate was only a few yards away. Harry hurried over but the gate refused to open. "I should have known that this was too simple..."

  


Not believing his ill-luck, Harry pulled away from the gate and looked down at his hands, which were bloody from the thorns of the roses entwined in the gate. It would not have surprised him, except for the fact that the blood was an eerie shade of violet. Looking behind him, Harry saw another ornate gate entwined with roses, but he refused to inspect it further and returned back the way he came. "Is there no end to this place?

  


Upon further inspection, there turned out to be another flight of winding to right from where Harry first escaped the room filled with coffins. Reaching the top of the steps, he found that he had entered the right tower of the castle which had nothing but a pool of clear water. Harry peered at his reflection in the water and touched the surface, sending ripples throughout the small pool. To his surprise, a stream of strong wind carrying rose petals emanated from the pond and grabbed on to raven-haired boy. Try as he might, Harry could escape from the center the small vortex which held him above the pond. All he knew was that he was quickly fading away.

  


"If this is a dream, please let me wake up now!!!"

  


  


~*~*~*~

To be continued...

~*~*~*~

  


  


Disclaimer:

  


This is my first slash story ever, so I am sorry if it offends anyone. I decided to cross two things I really love, which are the Harry Potter universe and the Saga Frontier universe into a crossover-AU work of fiction. Thus, I own nothing. I'm not really too certain about writing this piece since this is a whole new frontier for me. Please bear with me and I hope you enjoy reading. I don't really know what the final pairing would be for this, but trust that there would be a lot on the way. Perhaps someone could give me some suggestions?

  


  


Notes:

  


~**Mystics** are capable of living forever. They do not really have to drink blood and can live without eating or drinking at all. The only ones who drink blood are those who ambitious enough to want more power. The only ways for a mystic to die is if another mystic completely absorbs their power or if they are destroyed to the point where there are nothing left but ashes.

  


~**Chateau Aiguille** really means "Castle of Needles" in French. It is called this name because of the many towers with tips which are formed in the shape of spires or needles.

  


~Yes, Draco Malfoy is an actual "**Prince of Darkness**" in this fic and yes, he has black wings. Each of the male characters I have mentioned so far (except for Dudley) have a special title or purpose in the story. Blaise Zabini is the **Hunter Knight **and Charm Lord's **First General**. He will also have another title later on that I can't say right now. I promise that it will cause some people to snicker if they haven't played SaGa Frontier. Cedric Diggory is the **Black Knight** and Charm Lord's right hand man. He is quite a bit eccentric in this story and I apologize if people are severely out of character. And last but not the least, Severus Snape is the illustrious **Charm Lord **himself. He has a great many other titles and you will find that out in the next chapter... And there is **one** other... 

  


~You also have yet to know what on earth this **Zero Princess **deal is all about and why Charm Lord desperately wants to find her.

  


~Please tell me if you're not enjoying (or understanding) this at all so that I can remedy the situation. As I writer, I am big on description (as we can see) and falling in love with the words I write (a flaw of mine when it comes to writing serious essays). Moreover, I said before that this is my first slash story. I know that there isn't much slash now, but there will be (Lord of All Mystics, there will be).

  


~Sorry if there are any grammar errors and for all the run-on sentences. I don't really have the time to make too many corrections on my fics and I'm in somewhat of a hurry to write them... that is... if you guys still want me to.


	3. Where Sadness Is Born

Dark Fascination

  


by Asurahime

  


  


~*~*~*~

Chapter Three

~*~*~*~

  


  


There is no escaping the rose-entwined cage which entraps me in its heart. It is slowly becoming a part of me, immersing my soul with its silver mists and dusky shadows. I am tainted, but am I worse than before? An innocent darkangel that lay bleeding next to a pool of crystal water, running from the nightmare which is now a frightening reality. I have lost what little I used to have and fear makes my soul shake like the wind.

  


But my will remains unbroken. I have been degraded. I have been confined. I have been slain. I have been revived. I cannot spend days cradling my anxiety and licking at the wounds inflicted upon me. My smile has been destroyed, but I pray that my spirit is not extinguished. It is all I have left and I would risk my life once again if someone would dare destroy it.

  


Wounds can heal. Tears can dry. Pain can fade. Sadness can pass. But my freedom to choose is something irreparable and precious. 

  


I had chosen to peer into the glass-like pond of water and was twisted into a whirlwind. This fantasy is not a world in which I belong to, and deceptive phantoms with silver hair and eyes seek to lure me in deeper. But all of this would have been easier to believe if I cannot see the streams of violet flowing from the paleness of my skin to merge with the clarity of the water.

  


This was torment aided by true lies. The water had shown me as I currently am as any pool would, but the truth of the moment caused my spiraling descent into an unfamiliar world.

  


Who was that person with the quicksilver eyes? They were enshrouded with mystery and had shown scars of his own spiraling descent into this velvet underworld. But now all I can do is try to forget, as welcome oblivion drags me deeper, away from the hesitating signs of day.

  


To where sadness is born.

  


~*~*~*~

  


Harry could not keep from crying out as he felt a thousand pins being inserted into his body when he was forced into the maelstrom. The rose petals had surrounded him to the point that he could no longer see his hands in front of his face. But as suddenly as it had started, the rose petals went as still as death and dissolved into silvery ashes. The emerald-eyed boy lowered his hands from their defensive position as he stepped down from the edge of the pool of water. That was when he realized that he was not in the same room as before. The quality of light streaking through the open door was different from that of the other room. "But... I thought that there was no such thing as magic..." 

  


Almost as if in a trance, Harry walked towards the open door. Upon entering, he had to shield his eyes from the bright light, but that was soon forgotten as he gasped at what was inside.

  


Hundreds, no, thousands of different kinds of flowers were visible and their scent was over-powering. It did not take Harry long to noticed that there was not a single rose in the garden, and was slightly intrigued by the fact. This was a place where he felt that he was safe. There was something so pure and perfect about the place that the rest of the castle did not have. It did not have the melancholy walls, dim lights, and tangled roses which characterized the rest of Harry's prison.

  


He took a few steps into the room and noticed another door to the left side of the garden. Unfortunately, before he could take even two steps in that direction, his world turned gray and spun around. It was then that Harry learned that there is no sanctuary in the Castle of Thorns, for mysticism is based on deceit and enchantments. 

  


A mirror before him showed green eyes locking into an intent red stare and Harry noticed that his throat stopped moving. Thus, the gloved hand which could have prevented any cries of horror was unnecessary as the captor was impaled by a black scythe from behind. His assailant smiled before pulling out the scythe from his back, causing a spray of blood to dye the white freesia below. However, the vermilion-eyed attacker was not finished, for he swung the handle of the scythe to inflict two horizontal and vertical slashes on Harry's covered back in a mockery of a cross.

  


"Why....?"

  


That was the last word to escape from Harry's lips before he fell unconscious upon a bed of white roses. His flat green eyes closed behind raven lashes and a stream of purple escaped from the side of his mouth and fatal wound as he coughed. He stopped breathing a second later.

  


Blaise shook his head as he wiped the blade of his scythe clean upon the flowers, staining them as violet as the ground around the fallen young man. He feared that this was what his Lord had done, but who was he to question Charm Lord's motives? Taking one more glance at Harry, his lips twisted into a mocking, self-satisfied grin. "Why you ask? If you really must know, all of us just needed to prove a point. It would have been such a waste to just leave you to die on those crossroads when Lord Severus says that you have better uses as you are. What a pity that Draco was the one he assigned to watch over you, though."

  


Red eyes darkened with a shadow of bloodlust and fascination. Blaise knelt down before the fallen boy and gently caressed the midnight fringe of hair aside to unveil a silvery marking on the pale skin. It was a mock gesture of affection as the mystic dipped a gloved hand on the pool of violet and outlined the pale brand. "What a pity indeed."

  


His bitter laughter rang out loud and clear even as he faded out of sight, amused by what he had done and rejoicing in the feel of taking an innocent life. Harry, thankfully, did not hear a word the mystic said. On the other hand, someone else had listened to every word. He knew how conniving Blaise can be, and was amused by how the blonde-haired mystic thought so highly of himself. It was ludicrous to watch. However, what this stranger was most interested in was the current state of the formerly white garden.

  


"...... Purple blood?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in mild amusement before leaving his perch on a balcony. With white and green robes billowing about him, half-lidded crimson eyes sparkled with pleasure and great anticipation. "He will do."

  


~*~*~*~

  


Dark dye ran in rivulets along the shining white scar. After carefully tracing the contours of his forehead, the purple shade was trapped along the pale-skinned boy's eyelashes before flowing down ashen cheeks like precious amethyst tears. However, the violet color became even darker when compared to the blazing emerald gems that suddenly appeared. "None of this is real..."

  


Waking up, Harry raised a hand to cover his heart and was not surprised that it came away sticky and wet. What he was not expecting was that the liquid his hands came in contact with was as cold as ice and the amazing lack of pain. After being stabbed and slashed at mercilessly, one would think that there would be at least certain convulsions and bouts of agony. But there was nothing, not even the sensation of bloodloss.

  


"I'm alive.....?" asked Harry as he stood up, not noticing the strange shade of the flowers and stains of his old clothing. "No wound!" Finally looking down at the flowers once again, he saw the same unearthly shade of dark violet which had stained his hands when they were scratched by the unfeeling thorns of the gate. "Does this nightmare ever end?"

  


Numbly, Harry turned back to the pool of crystal water and threw himself in, barely even feeling the cold water coiling about him. By some strange force, he found himself in the courtyard with the closed gate once more. Since this is a nightmare, why should he expect anything to have changed? Turning around to continue searching for an alternate escape, Harry was amazed to find that the other rose-entwined gate from before was wide open. Fiery ruby eyes met cool emerald from the inside the gate, locking in a battle of wills where the victor remains undecided.

  


Without even thinking further, Harry entered the gate, not heeding the double rows of beautiful robed figures with gemstone eyes. The only pair which had drawn him in were the burning ones which seared his retina and made everything seem cloudy. There was no turning back now, for he was surrounded by a strong, intense force from all sides. Searching for a way out, he had developed a certain dark fascination with his surroundings, but the aura radiating from this new figure was so palpable that his white and green robes swirled around him with an invisible wind.

  


It was then that Harry realized that he had reached the depths of Hell.

  


"What is your name?" asked Charm Lord Severus as he stared down, mesmerized at the sparks which broke up in Harry's eyes. He had no idea why he was so enthralled by this black-haired creature, but there was something about the boy that made his blood burn and reawaken the desire for possession deep in his heart.

  


Harry did not draw his gaze from the figure, but it had changed into a fierce glare. There was something about this regal man which made his skin crawl with unbridled enmity, almost like blood calling out for blood. Moreover, the was something in the quality of the curt tone of the other which angered Harry. "My name is Harry James Potter, but don't you know that it's rude not to introduce yourself before asking others for their names? I don't mean any animosity by criticizing you, but there are such things as manners."

  


Gasps and murmuring echoed through the room, finally drawing Harry to notice that there were other people in the room aside from him and the man before him. Looking around, he found himself transfixed by frozen mercury eyes which seemed to be assessing the extent of his power by countenance alone. All of the muttering ceased when a sharp cry rose above them.

  


"You dare be so insolent to My Lord!?" snarled Blaise in a cutting tone before threatening to take a step forward and remedy the situation. Harry glared at him with minimal fear, more out of anger and confusion when he saw the hint of violet staining the blade of the black-robed man. It was the same color on his clothing and Blaise's eyes were the same arrogant ones that Harry saw distinctly from the mirror. There was no difficulty in harboring hatred towards the mystic.

  


Charm Lord Severus' thin lips twisted into a taunting smile at Blaise as he drifted down from his throne and seized Harry's chin with a firm hand. The other hand traced the stained silver scar on Harry's forehead before running it through raven-colored locks and undoing the small piece of twine at the end. Framed by pure darkness, white skin and green eyes were enhanced to the point where they seemed supernatural. "Harry James Potter... Harry... such an unpretentious name for a creature so alluring. And quite spirited too, I see. I am greatly pleased. You will do quite well to serve me in the future. You should be honored to be chosen me even if you were just a simple human."

  


Harry did not move, but simply stared back unflinchingly into enthralling vermilion eyes. Beyond the rose-colored surface of Charm Lord's eyes, all Harry saw were the shadows of darkness which eclipsed what little light there was. He put the thought to the back of him mind and patiently repeated his question from earlier. "I do not know who you are, but you know my name. Will you not answer me?"

  


_Charm Lord_

  


_Merciless King_

  


_Protector of Rose_

  


_Ruler of Darkness_

  


_Pursuer of Beauty_

  


_Supreme Judge_

  


_Ruler of Facinaturu_

  


_Lord of the Castle_

  


_**-Mystic Lord Severus-**_

  


Harry was taken by how certain people in the room knew just when to say title by title to give it the most effect. However, every single title told of a certain purpose which combined describes one man. It was enough to tell Harry that everything within the confines of this dark region he had been taken to is controlled by the man whose face is mere inches from his own. 

  


The horrifying thought was enough to snap Harry's trance. "A mystic? All of you are mystics? I am a human! Harry! Just Harry!! Why have you taken me here? I have had enough of your mind games! Let me leave this place! I don't belong here and I certainly know that--"

  


His rant was firmly silenced as frozen lips descended on his own. The kiss was not insistent; it was without passion and chaste but before Harry could struggle, he felt the sensation fade as he was released. There was an extremely smug look in Severus' face as he placed a finger upon his captive's lips and trapped his wrist with a firm, manicured hand. It was as if he was oblivious to the presence of the rest of the Mystic Court, who gazed with a mixture of fascination and astonishment. "Let me warn you now that that will be the only gentle kiss you will ever get from me," Charm Lord whispered to Harry, eyes darkening with a need for possession.

  


"How dare you..." Harry hissed with indignation.

  


"Listen closely, 'Just Harry,'" Charm Lord's tone took on a slightly sharper edge as he returned to his throne, heedlessly gazing from his position at the beautiful, dumbstruck boy before him. "I know quite well that you have seen your blood in the garden. Yes, that was your blood, a violet shade it may be, but it is yours. Truth be told, you are no longer human."

  


Harry clenched his hands tightly as the strands of his hair began crackling with static. "You're lying!! What else can I be other than a human!?"

  


The mystics of the court all shrank back at the anger in his voice. There was a certain timbre in the boy's tone which resembled Charm Lord's, but at an entirely different level. Although they feared for Harry's life, they found themselves eager to hear more as a thirsty being yearns for water. Three mystics separated from the crowd to stand noiselessly behind the irate new character who was currently lashing out at their Lord. It was rude of the boy, but none of them found the will to stop his tirade.

  


Severus raised a hand towards the dark blonde figure who now stood behind behind Harry with an unconcerned and mildly predatory glint in his eyes. "You were impaled and slashed by Blaise's scythe, yet you still stand before me alive and obviously unhurt due to your accusations against me. I would normally have reduced any mystic, much less a human, to ashes within a heartbeat if they dared take the tone you are using right now, but I understand that you are still insecure with your new status."

  


Status? Black hair whipped around to face three gem-colored eyes which bored into his own emerald ones. Each of them were so different, but they all reflected the same message as Charm Lord. "I don't understand..."

  


Severus continued on as if Harry had not spoken, the malice and possessiveness in his movements were crystal-clear. "Even before Blaise cleared the point, you had already been dead, run over by my carriage and trampled by my horses. It was only my blood--royal Mystic blood--which saved your life. Your red human blood and my blue mystic blood has altered your blood into its current amethyst shade. Although you are only a half-mystic, you are also my son and the heir to the Mystic Region of Facinaturu. There shall be no other, and the _Prince of All Mystics_ is crowned today. That is you, beautiful Harry."

  


The surprise throughout the room intensified upon hearing that announcement. Some were outraged that Lord Severus would create his Prince from a human child who dares to defy him, but upon setting their gaze upon said human boy, their complaints ceased in their fascination. However, Harry still refused to believe one word of it. "That can't be true... It is possible to live through a carriage accident! People have also been stabbed before and lived for a very long time!! I can't be your prince!"

  


"How do you explain your lack of a wound?" drawled Blaise, turning his scythe upon his hands so that the blade flashed dimly in the glowing light.

  


"It is because you are all playing mind games with me! None of this is real, just a nightmare!!" shouted Harry, his nails starting to draw purple blood from the soft pads of his skin.

  


Cedric smiled sadly as he shook his head and took out a black rose from his robes, turning it to show a sharp blade. "I'm sorry, My Prince, but I am afraid that this is reality. If you do not bear mystic blood, you really would not have been able to live through Blaise's attack. The blade of his scythe was treated with an extremely potent poison known as _kyuuketsuki_. It is a poison created by My Lord and I can attest because all of my weapons are tipped with it. Had you been human, you would have died within a breath."

  


"But..." Harry suddenly found himself speechless when mercury eyes peered into his own. These eyes were more familiar, for they were the first the boy saw when he awoke. "You."

  


Draco nodded curtly before opening his right hand to reveal an empty crystal phial. "I was not lying when I said that the liquid within this was not poison. It is not poison for mystics because our blood has mephitic qualities in it to begin with. This serum is a mixture of a magic truth potion called _Veritaserum_, cleansing herbs called aceras, and active mercury. You drank it and your health was restored even though it would have killed you before."

  


"Although you are a half-mystic, you still have important obligations to our kingdom as the Heir to the throne and a mystic and other duties to me." In the latter part of the sentence, Severus' amused smile faded as a certain hunger came over his features. He was never going to let this one go. "Draco."

  


"Yes, My Lord?" asked the winged mystic, who seemed to be the only one who is able to break his gaze from the half-mystic's dejected figure.

  


"But why....?" Harry murmured almost inaudibly to himself, still not wanting to see the truth. It was difficult to figure out if the question was meant for himself or for someone else. Draco passed it off as rhetorical and focused his attention on his commander.

  


"I leave him in your charge. Train him to be worthy of the title of Prince of All Mystics and you will be rewarded handsomely."

  


An incensed voice rose above Charm Lord's as Blaise took a step forward, eyes questioning. "But My Lord, Draco is your Messenger and may not be appropriate for the instruction of your Heir. In the chance that..."

  


"Hold your tongue, Blaise. You know better than to cut off and question My Lord's decisions," glared Cedric, pinning the Hunter Knight with a savage look. "Draco is more than capable of accomplishing this assignment. He is both agile and skilled with a sword. His temperament doesn't really count too much against him either." The Black Wing sent Cedric a dirty look. He wasn't quite sure of whether he had just been complimented or insulted. 

  


"Half-mystic... I'm..." Draco and Cedric both turned to Harry at that very second, almost forgetting that he was the one they were arguing about. The emerald-eyed boy was facing away from the entire court, staring longingly towards the closed gate beyond the courtyard, apparently wishing that he could run past through it.

  


Charm Lord's musical voice spoke again to reinforce Cedric's point after the argument over. "No, Blaise. The Black Knight is right in the matter and the Black Wing has trained some of the best mystic warriors and mages of Chateau Aiguille. He is perfect to teach him the mystic ways of life and battle. Be that as it may, the Prince's tongue may be too sharp and his visage too human and base for a mystic. I will waken Princess Hermione and summon my Strategist to take care of his learning and tactics for deception. These three should be enough for the Prince's education."

  


"As you command, My Lord."

  


The Lord of All Mystics fastened garnet eyes upon his "son" once again, smiling. However, that smile quickly faded when he noticed one more thing tarnishing Harry's perfect surface. "Ildon, get him some more decent clothes. The Prince of All Mystics cannot be expected to run around the castle and serve Charm Lord attired in bloody human rags."

  


Draco bowed low, closing his eyes in a posture of servility and respect. When he opened them, the only movement in the room were the flickering of the glowing crystals, the eternal mists, and two figures: him and Harry.

  


"Half-mystic... mystic... blue blood... purple blood... why...?" muttered Harry to himself, obviously not aware that the room was now deserted aside from him and the man known as the Prince of Darkness.

  


"Accept your fate. Be grateful that we're still taking such good care of you even if you're impaired by your human blood. There is nothing more you can do now except surrender to what has happened and go on with what you have. Leave what used to be behind and acquiesce gracefully. Let's go." Draco knew that that was quite rude, but he can't really help being incisive when faced with unobservant people. That was another thing which sets mystics aside from humans. Not to say that Draco likes all mystics, since he would certainly enjoy hanging either Cedric or Blaise from the highest spire of Chateau Aiguille. Or both.

  


Harry stared with confusion at his blue-robed companion. Confused, but showing more signs of life than he previously did. "Go? Where are we going now?"

  


"Hello, is anybody in there? Weren't you listening to Lord Severus? We're going to Rootville to get your clothes. The order was placed on them long ago." Draco sighed with exasperation and grabbed on to Harry's bloodied hand, not caring that purple stained his gloves darker. The seemingly unobservant nature of the young man vexed him, but Harry's innocence surprised him. Even though Harry's blood is tainted, the genuine lack of guile present in his face astounded Draco. Draco smirked bitterly as he started dragging the unresisting Harry out of the Throne Room.

  


_Accept your fate..._ Emerald eyes became shadowed by long black hair as the Black Wing's words echoed like an omen in Harry's ears. Burning through his mind like winter, killing off life with its somber shades and frozen expanses. Is this how life is to be now?

  


_What if I don't want to accept fate?_

  


  


~*~*~*~

To be continued...

~*~*~*~

  


  


Disclaimer:

  


This is my first slash story ever, so I am sorry if it offends anyone. I decided to cross two things I really love, which are the Harry Potter universe and the Saga Frontier universe into a crossover-AU work of fiction. Thus, I own nothing. I'm not really too certain about writing this piece since this is a whole new frontier for me. Please bear with me and I hope you enjoy reading. I don't really know what the final pairing would be for this, but trust that there would be a lot on the way. Perhaps someone could give me some suggestions?

  


  


Notes:

  


~Harry is now the **Prince of All Mystics**, second only to the Lord of All Mystics. It says in the text above that Harry has become Severus' "son," but the microscopic slash scene above seems to say otherwise. Let me clarify. Harry is only Sev's son in a way that his red human blood now contains blue mystic blood, making his blood purple (half-mystic). Sev's power is also transferred to Harry by blood, thus, he is the "Prince." It's like giving a part of yourself to someone else...

  


~**Poisons** have no effect on mystics. Because mystics are immortal and almost invulnerable, their blood is capable of dispersing the most toxic of poisons and even potions such as Veritaserum has no effect on them. This is so because mystics are creatures of deception and temptation.

  


~Apart from the hierarchy of Chateau Aiguille, there are also such beings as **lower-class mystics**. You'll meet several of these beings pretty soon.

  


~About this whole **Zero Princess** deal. You'll find out why she's so important in the next couple of chapters. Another thing: while it's pretty obvious who **Princess Hermione **is, who on earth is Severus' **Strategist**? The answer is in the next chapter. It's not really that difficult to figure out who.

  


~Also about this whole "men are free to go anywhere unless they are Harry" deal. You'll see later... that is... if this story is not so terrible. I promise this will become clearer.

  


~I hope that you guys are enjoying this. I understand that the characters out of character, but this _is _an alternate universe. It seems as if Draco, Blaise, and Cedric don't really like each other very much, don't they? (Major understatement!!!)

  


~Should I raise the rating of this story? It seems that with all the blood, darkness, and Harry's multiple deaths, perhaps the rating should be **R** instead of **PG-13**... what do you guys think?

  


~Another thing is that while I am genuinely pleased to have updated so quickly in the past few days, I must state that I may not be able to update as often as I would like... probably three chapters a week, often less because I need to study. I am extremely grateful for all the reviews that people have bestowed upon me thus far. As I said to the wonderful Gia, you guys are what motivates me to write. I blushed when I read some of what you guys wrote and nearly hugged my book of notes for this story to bits. Thank you so much. As long as I know that there are still some who read this story, I will write.


	4. Live Deceiving Your Heart

Dark Fascination

  


by Asurahime

  


  


~*~*~*~

Chapter Four

~*~*~*~

  


  


There are so many things that people require or desire, but how we act when we are deprived of such conveniences are an indication of our character. But how does such a philosophy preside over chance and change? I had desired freedom, but I have been trapped even further. How simple it would be to say that this fantasy is a mere illogical turn of the mind, leading me on to the bitter end.

  


What dare I think... when I have just been told that I am no longer a human? Do I dare think and find out this horrible reality? Do I dare dream only to have my world come crashing down on me once again? 

  


This should be just mischief brought about by a moment of disillusionment, but how is it that I can feel the cold sensation of lavender blood cooling on my skin? How is it that the ground is solid through my worn shoes? How is it that I can feel my companion's hand and eyes trapping me as he drags me wherever he desires?

  


I could close my eyes but there is no peace in my heart. It is as if the dark _mysticism_ of this place has frozen my heart into ice just like it has taken away the humanity of my blood. All I can see now is an eerie, unnatural light swaying against the waves of flowers beyond the gate which had heartlessly torn my hands from before.

  


A diamond-eyed knight had told me that I can only survive by forgetting everything I have every known and accepting the loneliness of this region. I must let the glass slipper be broken even if I do not wish to see it broken. I must endure this romantic vision even if I sadly chase after the sky.

  


  


~*~*~*~

  


"Why has my humanity been taken from me? If what I heard in there was right, then I shouldn't even be alive," Harry's voice was piercing, as if he was still trying to convince himself that all of this is just a sort of dream.

  


Draco pursed his this lips as he pulled his unresisting charge towards the ominous gates of Chateau Aiguille. He knew that his unbreakable grip on the half-mystic's wrist was painful for the other, but he knew that if he did not keep a tight line on Harry, it would be more difficult to convince him of the reality of his surrounding. The Messenger did not remember how he reacted when he was granted mysticism by Lord Orlouge because time means nothing in Facinaturu, but he was certain that he never behaved in this foolish manner.

  


However, Draco found that Harry's words melted the pasted smirk on his face. The boy was not as irritating as before and there was a genuine sadness in his tone. The question may have been absurd and redundant, but Draco finally felt obliged to answer.

  


Harry found himself crashing into the still figure of the Black Wing due to his lack of attention when his companion stopped in front of the closed gate. It was then that he noticed that Draco's hand was no longer confining his wrist and resorted to rubbing the soreness away.

  


The other turned back to him with a condescending glare and Harry was amused to find that Draco wasn't too much taller than himself. "Nay, what you are so mindlessly stating is not quite accurate. Sometimes I have to question the attentiveness of humans, or in your case, half-mystics. It is unfortunate that you are the only one in existence. Lord Severus had just finished explaining to you that you still retain your humanity, but Charm Lord's spirit, the spirit of royal mysticism has also been instilled in you. It flows through your veins and is present in your gaze. You hold the power to fascinate and deceive every being in all the regions if you wish. We have not robbed you of your mortality; we have granted you a force which you can use to your will have."

  


Harry raised a hand to his face as if seeing it for the first time. He could hardly believe what he was hearing, but the sincerity of the other's voice made his world come crashing down. "But.... why me?"

  


Turning back to face the gate, Draco's eyes narrowed with an unknown emotion. "You have just asked the question that everyone wants to know the answer to. None knows, except for the Lord of All Mystics why he has chosen you to be his Prince. Just give in to fate. We are all corrupted, not with sin, but with darkness. Mystics are born to confuse, but humans do not know that we are just as easy to confuse as they are."

  


"But I thought that there is no such thing as magic..." Emerald eyes darkened as they focused on the tiny, lifeless village beyond Chateau Aiguille's gate. He was not expecting a bitter laugh to burst from his companion. The Black Wing raised a gloved finger and pointed it to the silver scar on Harry's forehead. "Magic... is the sense of simply _being_. It is in life, death, and reincarnation. It can be used for good or," Draco eyed the dark darkly, "for evil. There are many types and just as many uses. You will learn many of these uses later. Now, no more questions."

  


The half-mystic nodded as he looked up at the black vertical spears woven with roses which served as the gate. An icy fear stabbed him in the heart as Draco pulled a glowing length of wood from his robes and raised it to the air, lighting up the air before them like a beacon. These phenomena were going to take some getting used to. "Lord of All Mystics, what is the matter with you? It is just a gate."

  


"Ho--How will you open tha... the--"

"I am Draco, the Prince of Darkness. Open the Gate," snapped the mystic irritably, not impressed as his voice triggered the spell to raise the gate. The massive device creaked loudly as it slowly ascended to let the two of them through, startling Harry speechless.

  


A confused sigh escaped from Harry's lips as he looked from the gate to his new mentor. "I don't understand this. I have tried opening the door many times, but it did not even rise a centimeter. It's strange," Harry rubbed his pale hands together, remembering how the scratches inflicted upon them by the thorns of the gate's roses bled violet. Draco glanced at the gate once more and finally noticed how there were splashes of purple on the rose petals and how there were drops of the same shade on the floor of the courtyard below the gate.

  


The mystic put it in the back of his mind before grabbing on to Harry's hand once again and half-dragging him down to the dismal town of Rootville. Harry had no choice but to allow himself to be pulled along dark streets lighted with the same glowing crystals as within the Chateau. Two things intrigued him: that there was not a single rose of any color in the town and that the town itself appeared to be smaller than the interior of the castle.

  


Draco was quiet the rest of the distance with, as usual, a dark scowl on his face. It was not that he did not like the half-mystic, it was just the fact of how Harry looked so very _human_ because of his clothes which made the mystic bitter. It was discomforting to see how this confused human boy in blood-stained rags can ever be the illustrious Prince of Mystics which Charm Lord believes he can be. However, Draco can do very little right now except for get Harry into decent mystic attire fitting for the Heir of the Mystic Kingdom of Facinaturu. 

  


Yes, they can start with that.

  


~*~*~*~

  


Harry stifled a cry of protest as Draco stepped up to the tailor's shop, unceremoniously threw the door open with more violence then necessary, and pulled the two of them into the said door without a word. It appears the mystics have no need for formality when it came to business with the human residents of Rootville. Obviously, that irked Harry, but he said nothing as he allowed himself to be drawn inside.

  


As he looked around, he saw the tailor stumble over his own feet with what was clearly fear in his eyes as he righted himself. "What brings such high and noble mystics to my shop, Your Lordship?" asked the wide-eyed tailor as he cowered even further behind the counter, wringing his hands together to control his suprise and his terror. He was plainly not expecting any mystics of the high class but rather one of the lower mystics or a messenger to his shop. Harry noted that he would have found this exceedingly humorous if he did not know what the human tailor was so scared of.

  


Like a poisonous serpent, Draco pinned the terrified tailor with his mercury eyes before hissing, "Go and get the robes I ordered."

  


The tailor almost jumped out of his skin as the mystic directly addressed him, but he still moved from behind the counter and called an unnoticed figure, beckoning him or her forward. Harry let his emerald eyes wander to the direction where the tailor was calling and they landed on a boy with raven hair that was the exact color as the half-mystics. As a matter of fact, the two boys would have been twins if the human was not so tall and had verdant eyes rather than his piercing crimson ones. "Y-yes, My Lord."

  


Draco glanced at Harry and followed the other's confused line of gaze to rest on the tailor's help, who seemed to be paralyzed where he stood. The mystic stifled a snort of laughter at the fascination and fear clearly imprinted in the human boy's face as he gazed at Harry. This is more proof that the power of Charm Lord now runs in Harry's veins: how the half-mystic now has the power of enthrallment even though he is unaware of it. Snapping his glare back to the trembling tailor, Draco then ushered his charge forward so that he could be in plain sight. It was then that the fear present in the two humans' eyes heightened when they noticed the red and purple stains on Harry's clothing. "Put the robes on him." 

  


The tailor's tremors became even more violent as he tried to decide whether to run or to obey what the mystic commanded him. It was one poison or the other. Draco simply smirked with satisfaction at the horrified man and Harry was frowning with great sympathy and disapproval. "Ex-excuse me, Y-Your Highness. I don't... believe that I... uh... heard you correctly."

  


The glare Draco gave the tailor could have stopped his heart beat. "Put. The. Robes. On. Him."

  


"B-b-but, I can't do--"

  


The irritated mystic raised a brightly glowing wand at the tailor, his face savage and enraged against the blazing light. "I will not repeat myself again, tailor. Do not try to find the limits of my temper, for I do not take excuses lightly."

  


Harry looked at the infuriated glare on Draco's face and shook his head. A few minutes ago, he would have found himself cringing at the sight of that silver glower, but he now found himself adjusting to the personality of his supposed mentor. It was almost as if... he was getting used to him.

  


"I-I.... understood. Tom," murmured the tailor lightly, fearing more provocation from the black-winged mystic. He ascended the steps without looking back, almost as if he was more than ready to face Death.

  


The vermilion-eyed human boy tentatively drew Harry's sleeve and bowed. He had finally shaken himself from his stasis and was now looking at Harry with a kind of awe, not even paying any attention to Draco. "Please come this way, My Lord." He followed his master up the stairs with Harry following after.

  


The half-mystic took one more look at Draco with a question in his eyes, but the white-blonde mystic merely nodded his head and turned away. Harry finished scaling the steps and found himself in the tailor's workshop. Textiles, fabric, and clothes of every kind and color imaginable decorated the room. However, their vibrance was dulled by the dusky glow of the crystals.

  


The two humans rummaged through an ebony wardrobe and started pulling out the most elegant robes that Harry had ever seen. Granted, he has not seen many, but the ones which now lay before him rivaled the ones worn by the inhabitants of Chateau Aiguille. After setting down two more robes, the two humans drew aside silently with their eyes riveted to the floor.

  


Harry tore his eyes from the robes when he noticed the silence. It has gotten a bit much. "You can talk, you know. Your silence unnerves me."

  


The tailor cringed, but the boy named Tom raised dark red eyes to meet Harry's green ones. Harry smiled slightly before looking back to his choices. "What am I supposed to do with all of these?"

  


"Anything you wish, My Lord. If you desire to take them all, we would be more than happy if you do so," whispered the tailor, falling to his knees at being spoken to by the half-mystic.

  


"I don't want them all!! They are all too well-made for someone like me to--" The emerald-eyed boy suddenly saw the terror and pleading present in Tom's eyes. He knew that he would have to choose if only to save the tailor and this boy from having a heart attack. "All right..."

  


Silently stalking over to where the robes lay side by side, the leaf-green gaze stopped on a blue, sleeveless surcoat with black and yellow bands. Underneath was another blue cotton robe with large sleeves. The material was very light and gave the wearer little protection against weather. _This is telling me of unlimited knowledge... learning but with that wisdom, the refusal to take chances._

  


Next, Harry noticed a short yellow robe with black stripes and orange tassels to serve as a tie. A flowing white shirt and black velvet pants, both of which could be tied with golden tassels. _Now this... bright curiosity and a life without darkness and corruption... definitely not._

  


A long, black cloak with intricate emerald and silver trimmings caught his eye next. The green seemed to reflect the color of his eyes and the black contrasted with his hair. Beneath was a thin black satin robe and black pants. Harry frowned slightly, understanding fully what the piece of clothing stood for. _Deception... and illusion. I do not want to deceive anyone and I cannot let darkness follow me wherever I go._

  


Harry was about to sigh with exasperation before Tom held out something to him hesitantly. The half-mystic took a red bundle from the human's arms and stepped behind a dressing screen. Several minutes of rummaging passed before Tom went behind the screen to assist the customer after receiving permission from his master.

  


"My Lord, if that does not please you, we have several others. Forgive us if--" The tailor had finally stood up and was starting to offer the black and emerald cloak to Harry before he was cut off.

  


"Wait... this will do." The black-haired half-mystic stepped away from the screen. Harry was resplendent in an ankle-length, crimson robe which was split in the bottom into many strips, similar to a phoenix's tail feathers, for freedom of movement. It would have been plain if the edges of the suit were not trimmed with cloth-of-gold and if the fastenings going down from the high neck to the bottom part of the suit were not silver. On Harry's neck was a golden choker shaped in the form of arrowheads going in every direction, and his long hair was tied back with a crimson ribbon. Under his cloak, the half-mystic wore a simple black silk robe, black leather pants, and black boots. In contrast, his gloves are pure white.

  


_The outside shows of this "royal mysticism" without amplifying the darkness and deception of this place. It shows a life that this region doesn't have and the love for beauty that it has. It gives the greatest traces of freedom of movement which I most likely no longer have as the "heir" to his place. Underneath shows grieving and simplicity for the life I used to have and my conversion into what I am now in this place. Yet, my hands are untainted with the blood of another. This will do._

  


"Yes, this will do."

  


~*~*~*~

  


"Now you look more like a mystic, let's go back to the castle." Draco kept his tone light and slightly exasperated by the wait, but he was actually amazed at the transformation of his charge. Harry no longer looked like the cringing little mannerless firecracker of a half-mystic in blood sodden clothes from before. The emerald-eyed boy turned out to be Draco's age, or at least the age he was when he was turned into a mystic. It seemed so long ago that he forgot when that was. But now, even the Black Wing had to admit that he was transfixed by the image now presented to him.

  


The red-clad half-mystic did not speak, but merely nodded his understanding as the two of them walked out of the tailor's shop, paying no mind to the sighs of relief and murmurs which started when they closed the door. It was not until they were traversing across the bridges connecting the spires of the Castle of Needles that Harry felt inclined to break the silence. "Draco, why is it that we wear these clothes?"

  


"Feeling uncomfortable? A little strange to be wearing such strange clothing?" The smirk which appeared on Draco's face was mocking. "Mystics are of a royal race, even those of the lower class. It all depends on how thick the blood is and from who the blood belongs to. As you can see, this especially true for you because you are the Prince of All Mystics. It is Lord Severus' wish that we are attired in such a manner. Do not forget that you are no longer mortal."

  


".......... How can I possibly forget?" asked Harry, his voice was soft and obviously hurt. It was a painful lesson, but it is one that must be learned as quickly as possible.

  


In silence, the two mystics entered the room of Princess Hermione. Draco stayed at the door as the half-mystic ventured in to stand next to another of those strange, flower-entwined coffins from before. Harry tentatively drew a hand and moved a sprig of daisies out of the way to reveal a smiling face with blue eyes which stared up at him inquisitively. The long-haired half-mystic quickly backed away as a flash of intense silver light filled the room, dulling the green gleam of the crystals before slipping into darkness once more.

  


"This is--" started Harry, shielding his veiled green eyes with his white gloves.

  


A tawny-haired girl stood on top of the open coffin, her white dress was billowing with an unseen wind and her blue eyes were shining brightly at the red-clad figure in front of her. Stepping down from the coffin, she walked towards Harry and clasped his hands in hers, giving him a wide grin. "Hello, you must be Harry. I am pleased to finally make your acquaintance, My Lord."

  


"Who... are you?" There was a shocked look which glazed the half-mystic's eyes which only doubled when a green robed figure appeared behind the brown-haired girl out of thin air. "What is going on?"

  


Harry had started to back away from the two mystics, but he was stopped when he hit Draco's solid figure. The red-haired figure in green robes gave an even wider smile than the girl, before he caught sight of the platinum-haired mystic and the smile turned to a fierce scowl. Draco returned the glare with a dark smirk as he rested a hand on Harry's back, preventing him from making a break for it. "She is the seventy-ninth princess of Charm Lord, Arch-Princess Hermione. The red-haired menace is Lord Severus' Strategist, Lord Ronald. Think back to what Lord Severus said before you started spouting off nonsense."

  


"I see that you haven't changed, Black Wing. Still have your feathers in a flutter, I say," piped the Strategist, the belligerent glare on his face fading as he approached the green-eyed figure. "So you are Harry. You really have a scar, eh? That is wicked."

  


"Honestly, do you boys ever think about anything but fighting and battle wounds?" asked Hermione, her hands at her hips as she kindly dragged Harry from the grasps of the two warring mystics.

  


Ron and Draco soon followed them, ignoring each other as they both kept watch over Harry--protectively in Draco's case, and curiously in Ron's case. However, it was clear that both of them could feel magic and power hanging over the newest mystic like a heavy mantle. It was apparent in the boy's unknowing grace, his sharp eyes, and his sad smile.

  


"He doesn't know, does he?"

  


Draco looked at the Strategist with surprise that he had managed a sentence without insult and told him thus.

  


Ron shrugged. "The Prince seems interesting enough if Hermione would let me have a talk with him to decide for myself. Besides, this is by Lord Severus' orders that I don't fight with you."

  


"I don't like it, but I guess there is no choice," fussed Draco.

  


Harry's questioning voice broke through their short conversation as he turned back to look at Draco and Ron. "I don't understand this. What is an Arch-Princess and what is the role of a Strategist in mystic society?"

  


Ron smiled as he threw an arm around Harry, leading him towards the courtyard with the rose-mosaic once again. "You will understand all of this in due time, Lord Harry. But now, you have a training session with the Black Wing."

  


The half-mystic whipped around to stare incredulously at Draco. Apparently, he wasn't expecting this turn of events. "Training session?"

  


Hermione stepped down and linked her arm with Ron's when he offered it. "Yes, Lord Harry. A training session. We will answer your queries after it."

  


Nodding curtly with a reserved grace, Draco started leading the four of them swiftly to the training grounds to the left side of the courtyard. At the pace Draco was going, one would think that he was trying to lose the three of them, but when they all arrived at the courtyard with the gates to the Throne Room and the one leading out of Chateau Aiguille, Harry caught up with the silver-eyed mystic and grabbed his hand, stopping him from moving further. "Wait, the others are still back there."

  


"It is their own fault for not being able to keep up."

  


The half-mystic frowned. "Don't you stop to think about how running through the castle may be something that Hermione and Ron don't do at a regular basis?"

  


Sarcasm from Harry was not something Draco was familiar with, but even this facet of the red-robed boy spellbound him. "I am not interested in finding out the strategist's or the princess' strong and weak points. My purpose is to find yours."

  


"So that's what this 'training session' is all about? To find my strengths and weaknesses at fighting," asked the half-mystic, turning back to wait for his two newer companions. However, before he could walk two steps, Harry found that he could not move as Draco had seized his right hand and was giving him the most intensely clear and searching gaze he has ever seen.

  


"I was not talking about on the battlefield."

  


  


~*~*~*~

To be continued...

~*~*~*~

  


  


Disclaimers:

  


This is my first slash story ever, so I am sorry if it offends anyone. I decided to cross two things I really love, which are the Harry Potter universe and the Saga Frontier universe into a crossover-AU work of fiction. Thus, I own nothing. I'm not really too certain about writing this piece since this is a whole new frontier for me. Please bear with me and I hope you enjoy reading. I don't really know what the final pairing would be for this, but trust that there would be a lot on the way. Perhaps someone could give me some suggestions?

  


  


Notes:

  


~Well everyone, there's your **Strategist **and **Princess Hermione** for you. Next chapter will contain my specialties when it comes to writing these kinds of fanfiction: **Battle/Fight Scenes**!! I just won't tell you who will be fighting... all right, Draco's about to train Harry on how to fight like a mystic. Hermione and Ron are also going teach Harry some things about **Mysticism**, **Charm Lord**, and all other aspects of his new life... some lessons with Draco, some lessons without Draco. Yes, the three of them are going to spend some time bonding... cute, isn't it?

  


~Next chapter, the explanation of the infamous **Zero Princess **and why Charm Lord is chasing her will be explained.

  


~Contrary to what some people may think, I am not too fond of Mary Sues. My name will be appearing from the next chapter on, but I state now that I am definitely **NOT** that character. Besides... I don't ever think I'd want to be... 

  


~I am not sure if there was really a point to this chapter, but I am still quite fond of it. Anyone else notice the slight innuendo of the last few sentences of this chapter? Hmm... intrigue...

  


~Who on earth is **Tom **and what is his purpose in this story? *whistles to herself* Anyone else out there who would like to know?

  


~I've decided with the help of my muse, Hideaki, that I'm not going to raise the rating of this story **just yet**. He told me that nothing terribly evil has happened yet and it can still survive in the **PG-13 **rating still. I don't even know if it's ever going to be disturbing enough (aside from the bouts of bad writing and run-on sentences) to get an **R** rating...

  


~Thank you to all of my **dear, sweet, amiable reviewers** who keep me going on and on. I love all of you to bits and I certainly hope that you are all enjoying yourselves even a little bit with this work. I know that the slash is just in innuendos right now, but that will change later on, I swear to Draco Malfoy that it will change later on. Just please bear with me until then.

  


~*blushes* If this keeps up, I'm going to have a fever or simply remain red forever. *smiles* Hideaki and I love mochi too. I am happy that most of you seem to like this world I am creating... Moreover, for those of you who are confused at what is going on, don't worry. It's supposed to be confusing at the beginning. ^^

  


~I now have an idea of the final pairing, but the multitude of pairings in between is just too fun not to write about!!


	5. At The Risk Of My Life

Dark Fascination

  


by Asurahime

  


  


~*~*~*~

Chapter Five

~*~*~*~

  


  


I never took into account that I would ever meet someone in the opposite edge of a battlefield. My old family had stained the ground at my feet like a crimson, red carpet before but the very thought that I may have to be the cause of such an action... Mystics are all flowers showing their beautiful sides, while darkness runs beneath. They are all transient stars that glitter in a moonless night.

  


We live for 'honor' and 'loyalty' which are truly nothing but the most artificial of emotions. There is no love in this place, so how can there be life? A dark-winged seraph, a fire-haired lord, a bell-voiced princess are the most tangible beings, but even the four of us are just chess pieces to be moved around by another's whim. So why should I fight? What is the purpose of struggling for an end which I know nothing of? Am I not supposed to have perished like summer in the wake of the most bitter winter?

  


There is no use for a weakness when there is no strength to compare it to. Why does the knight seek to teach his apprentice when he refuses to state the others' name. Is it not my own? Does the silver-haired darkangel not know to whom he speaks? Perhaps. Perhaps not. It is time for me to awaken from this dream to face my fears at the opposite end of the battlefield.

  


_There is no good or evil... there is only power and those to weak to seek it._

  


I do not wish to seek power, even if it is the finest and strongest double-edged blade. The power to create, the power to destroy, the power to fascinate--these all mean nothing to me, but I have been running away for far too long. Roses have thorns and I have to prove that mysticism is only part of who I am. I do not only have a beautiful side to show the world. If there is no reason for me to live on, I would make one.

  


I have been through so much pain. This time, I would make sure that it is not my blood that is drawn first. Let the double-edged blade descend. It will cut the victim, but it will also turn on the one who wields it.

  


En garde.

  


~*~*~*~

  


"I was not talking about on the battlefield." The words hung heavily between them, shifting and swirling about them like the wind. "Not at all."

  


Harry's green eyes narrowed with suspicion, not trusting the underlying current of truth laced with malice in the Black Wing's tone. "What are you expecting of me?"

  


Draco drew back, crossing his arms over his chest with an indiscernible look in his silver eyes. "Nothing. But I expect everything. I am not easily pleased, as you can tell." The mocking smile was back, his glare was starting to smolder at the edges. "Charm Lord has ordered me to train you, and I will not be satisfied until you are able to best me..."

  


"'If it is necessary to destroy both of us in the process, it will be done.' Yes, Draco we have already heard that speech many, many times before. You need to find a new hobby, to be honest," piped Ron as he slung an arm around Harry's shoulders, leading him away from the stairs to the training grounds and towards Rootville.

  


A bubbling sound erupted from Hermione's lips as she twined her arm around the half-mystic's right arm and followed the two of them out, her eyes flashing with confusion and slight warning at Draco. Apparently, she had heard what the winged mystic said to Harry and was disconcerted. Hermione knew that of the two trainers, Blaise was worse, for he would run his pupil to death if he felt like it. However, she has also viewed that Draco tended to be merciless and unforgiving to his students, not to the point of death, but in a more psychological manner. The Prince of Darkness was renowned for having a sharp tongue to go with his cold demeanor, much like Cedric. The mixture of the two is not very pleasant to say the least.

  


The blonde-haired mystic was far from pleased when he saw that his two... acquaintances... were leading his student in the opposite direction that he wanted to go. "Where do the lot of you think that you are going?"

  


"Honestly Draco, you are about to drag Lord Harry off to battle without a suitable weapon. The base knives and swords in the training grounds are not fitting for the caliber required by the Prince of All Mystics. We are going to Rootville for the moment to speak with Marcus," answered the tawny-haired princess.

  


Red hair flashed in the glowing light as blue eyes bored coldly into grey. "Even I knew that. Honestly, I would question Lord Severus' way of doing things if Blaise hadn't been the only other option."

  


"Silence, Strategist," hissed Draco as he followed the others down to Rootville. Indeed he had forgotten that the half-mystic he was teaching was also the Prince of All Mystics. But considering that the raven-haired boy's behavior has been anything by refined, this slight blanking of the mind should be forgivable. Resting his eyes on Harry's figure, Draco's thin lips twisted up in the mockery of a smile as he noticed the stiffness of the half-mystic's posture. However, this did not last long when he felt the mystic energy practically radiating from the boy. 

  


Focusing solely on Harry, Draco saw that his aura was so strong that it was almost palpable. Gold, white and red, the colors of untainted human energy emitted from the boy, but they were based with black, green, and silver, the colors of tainted mysticism, death and revival. Indeed, with power such as that which lies dormant beneath the ivory surface of the crimson-robed half-mystic, there would be no weapon sufficient aside from one made by the Marcus, the exiled mystic artisan. However, there is going to be one drawback which caused Draco to frown darkly... "There is no other way, let us visit that mystic."

  


"Marcus?" asked Harry after Draco grabbed him away from Hermione and Ron. Once again, the two are forced to catch up as Draco set an incredibly swift pace. When the dismal town of Rootville was visible, Harry tried the question once again. "Who is Marcus?"

  


Ron gave Harry a reassuring smile as the four of them stopped in front of a small, lonely house. "Marcus is the greatest and most skilled artisan in the whole of the Mystic Kingdom. All of his works have great mystical power embedded in them. They never break, wear down, or get lost. On the other hand..."

  


Harry also fell silent as the Strategist trailed off, not finishing his sentence. The scowl on Draco's face grew even more forbidding when he noticed that neither the Arch-Princess nor the Strategist was meeting his gaze. It was then that he knew that the price for what they had come to get would be extremely precious and severe. However, there is no other way.

  


Smiling slightly, Hermione tugged on Harry's red sleeve before disappearing into the ebony door. For the moment, Harry watched as her white rose-crowned brown tresses clashed and merged with the obscurity of the space within the door. Without another thought, he clenched his hands into fists and stepped through.

  


Ron and Draco followed the two mystics before them, glaring draggers at each other and biting back insults through gritted teeth. It was only for the half-mystic's sake that they had not torn out each other's throats, but it confused them why they should care about how the midnight-haired boy viewed them as. They had to agree about one thing: neither of them was about to let the other get the advantage.

  


"So you are Lord Severus' new prince? But you're just a filthy human! It's not fair!" A hulking, hairy figure that was sitting at a chair near a forge and pit of blue flames penetrated the thick silence. "Charm Lord has never understood my loyalty or my skill, but he makes a stupid-looking mortal into his Heir! He wouldn't even let me live in the castle."

  


Hissing softly, Harry was held back by a startled Ron, who had quickly grabbed on to his arm at the artisan's insult. Neither Draco nor Hermione thought that it was necessary, but it was a comfort to think that they could have prevented any damage. "I am sorry for looking stupid!"

  


While Hermione and Ron were trying to make peace between the half-mystic and the merchant, the Black Wing resisted a sudden urge to blast Marcus into the next region for daring to insult his student. However, all of this did not show on his face because the Prince of Darkness is not supposed to show any emotion, not even the most bitter anger or the mildest irritation. "We are here for a purpose, Artisan. Do not trifle with us."

  


A slight sigh from the direction of the merchant was heard through the room. It was difficult to see anything beyond a couple of feet because there were no glowing crystals within the house and Ron made a remark of it. "It is difficult to see, Marcus. Do you mind having to remedy the situation?"

  


_**guided by the crimson triangle I call upon the lord of fire**_

_**guided by the green star I call upon the lord of wind**_

_**guided by the azure circle I call upon the lord of the moon**_

_**guided by the yellow square I call upon the lord of earth**_

_**to protect nature and its rulers guided by the white ellipse**_

_**I call upon the spiritual power of the fifth element**_

_**the force which controls all living things**_

  


Silvery light erupted from some crystals which were not visible before. The brilliant rays quickly subsided into the same eerie glow as those outside and within the confines of Chateau Aiguille. Revealed before the three mystics and one half-mystic was a low-class mystic whose skin has an unhealthy greenish pallor, whose clothing are crude, and whose teeth and eyes are sharp and menacing. This was Marcus. Harry remained silent as he fixed his green eyes on Marcus, who stared back with no small measure of surprise.

  


"I hadn't realized that you had green eyes... perhaps you are not that stupid-looking after all. That scar of yours isn't too much of a deformity either, Prince of All Mystics," stated the artisan apologetically before bowing and turning to look upon the blue flames of his forge. "What business do you have with me?"

  


Running his hands over his robes to shake the soot from them, the red-haired Strategist of the group pointed a finger towards Harry. "Marcus, we have come to purchase a weapon for Lord Harry. Obviously, none of the second-rate swords in the training rooms of the castle are fit to be used, for none of them are made by you."

  


Surreptitiously, Draco glared at the Strategist, who dared to come to conclusions with the weapons within the Castle of Needles. Unfortunately, the blonde-haired mystic had to agree. "He needs a sword in which he can channel mystic energy through. The Prince of All Mystics cannot be running around the Chateau with anything less than the best."

  


".............." Clearly, Marcus was not in good terms with either Draco or Ron, for he seemed to think it over for a few moments before turning to face Hermione and the confused Harry. He fixed yellow, cat-like eyes upon the two before him in a gravely serious manner. "Princess Hermione, do you all have any idea how much such a weapon would cost? I know that you are all mystics, but.... the price of such an object is..."

  


"Are you implying that you are incapable of--" started Draco, raising a snowy eyebrow in mockery. He knew exactly what the price is going to be, but he needed to know if the merchant's items are worth the price.

  


"Please do it, Marcus," Hermione and Ron both grasped the emerald-eyed boy's hands tightly, showing a strange concern not only by their actions but also by the slight tremors in their voices. "It is a risk that we will have to take because there is no other way. Our Lord Severus commands that his Heir is trained... there is no other alternative."

  


Harry's eyes clearly darkened at the desperation he heard in their voices and he glanced at Draco and Marcus, both refusing to meet his gaze. It was not apparent that the price can only be paid by him. "What is going on?"

  


Keener than steel, finer than silk and as unbreakable as diamonds--beautiful, true, lethal, and seemingly impossible to control--Marcus drew from the heart of the blue flames a sword that was the color of freshly-spilt blood. It was the same shade as the most crimson rose... the same hue of Charm Lord's eyes. Light and darkness entwined about each other in the depths of the sword, seemingly one but discernible nevertheless. The sword was perfect... more perfect for the half-mystic than any other lesser weapon would have been, for it reflected both the mysticism and humanity within his figure. "This is the blade destined for the Prince of All Mystics. No other will suffice."

  


Verdant eyes stared intensely at the blade as if mesmerized by the surface. Harry could just feel the sword calling out for him, but he knew that nothing comes without a price, and for something is amazing, the prices is clearly not going to be light. "What is the price? I have very little except for a title I do not want, purple blood in my veins, and the robes I am wearing."

  


"I do not take credits, human currency, or service of any kind that you may provide..." Marcus faltered in the middle of his sentence, but the warning beneath the pleading in his amber-colored eyes startled the others. "......."

  


"Marcus..." Hermione and Ron broke away from Harry to stand back with Draco. This was now out of their hands and the extent of the possible sacrifice chilled them. Draco himself knew that the merchant would neither charge more than allowable nor charge less than the actual price. The very thought of it made his quicksilver eyes harden with anticipation and slight dread.

  


On the other hand, Harry knew that the only way that he could prove himself to be worthy of such a marvelous weapon was to accept the price that may be set. He remains unshaken as he focuses his gaze fiercely on the merchant, unknowingly putting Marcus under a mild spell of Fascination. "What do you take?" There is no turning back.

  


"........ a portion of one's life...."

  


To everyone's complete surprise, Harry nodded, took a step forward, and grasped the sword without hesitation. "ARE YOU MAD? Think about what you are doing first!! Even if you are the Prince of All Mystics, you must not have any regrets before making this decision because I cannot give you back that part of your life that you have surrendered!!" roared Marcus, his eyes were wild with fear and shock and his face was looking extremely feverish.

  


"HARRY!!" cried Hermione and Ron simultaneously as Draco watched, speechless with shock.

  


"I will never be able to deem myself worthy of this sword without paying the price in full. I know that I'm doing," the half-mystic smiled as brilliant crimson, black, and white rays of light and darkness erupted from his body and the sword to feed the blue flames of Marcus' forge. Several moments of this passed before Harry collapsed hard on his knees, his left hand was still grasping the crimson sword that was resting on the floor.

  


His three companions were immediately at his side, babbling almost incoherently as they tried to get him to rise to his feet. Diamond and cerulean eyes hardened to shards of gemstones as they fixed upon the trembling figure of Marcus, who was staring blindly at the semi-unconscious half-mystic. "What did you do to him!? If there was something you did--"

  


"Stop."

  


The two froze as a commanding voice ordered them in stasis. "Lord Harry, are you all right?" fussed Hermione as she checked him over for any wounds. Finding none, she let the pale young man stand up.

  


"Thank you, Marcus. That part of my life means little because Asura now makes up for what I have lost... and so much more. I am in your debt," whispered Harry to the amazement of the three and the discomfort and clear appreciation of the lower mystic. Everyone noticed that the red-robed figure is now paler than before, but they had very little time to stress about it when Harry sheathed the crimson blade and smiled.

  


Ron relaxed a little bit and let out the breath that he had not realized he was holding. There was just something about the half-mystic which unnerved him. Apparently, the git Draco and Hermione felt the same way. Lord Severus has repeatedly proven that Fascination is not a nice spell to be under, but this new half-mystic shows that it is nice to surrender every now and then. "What happened?"

  


"The sword--"

  


Harry coughed slightly. "Asura."

  


The artisan's raspy voice was even raspier than normal and he was trying his hardest to look anywhere but at the half-mystic before him. "Asura has bonded with him and will always be bonded with him. No spell and not even death will be able to break the two apart. Whoever has given me a part of their life for a certain artifact always keeps that artifact because it is an extremely precious sacrifice that is the price. There is a reason why I am considered by many as the greatest mystic artisan and petty theft will discredit the honor of my creations."

  


Hermione and Draco exchanged glances as Harry headed for the door, his smile softening. "So what happens now?"

  


"Only time can tell and only fate can dictate the future."

  


~*~*~*~

  


"One-on-one combat. No time limit, swords alone," growled Ron, not liking having Harry's first fight against the winged mystic. However, training is not the area assigned to him my Charm Lord Severus, that was the blonde mystic's terrain. Besides, he has to admit that none can instruct future mystic warriors better than the Messenger. Harry needs the best, even if that means having to tolerate the sarcastic Black Wing's presence without excessive violence. Difficult as it may be to believe, the red-haired Strategist and the Arch-Princess are already inseperable with the half-blood Heir, despite only having met for less than a day. Which is why they are worried of what may occur within the raised rose-mosaic and rose-column decorated platform which serves as the training grounds of Chateau Aiguille.

  


Hermione leaned against the railing in the back of the platform, her eyes fixed worriedly upon her half-mystic prince. She knew better than to worry about Draco, for the mystic has proven his prowness in battle countless of times. She has never even seen anyone--except Charm Lord--draw even the tiniest drop of mystic blood from the Black Wing. No, the rose-crowned princess worried for Harry's life. "Be careful!"

  


"Princess Hermione and I shall remain silent for the entirety of the bout. Unless there is a foul, we shall not say a word."

  


After the red-haired mystic drew back, Draco raised SilverMoon, a long silver sword with a thin blade, in salute to his opponent. His lips twisted into a dark smirk before smoothing over without the tiniest bit of emotion. "I am to find your weaknesses and strengths in battle, but trust that that is not all I am seeking. Don't you dare hold anything back, for I will not. If you value your life or your honor, you will manage to draw blood from me as none but one have done in the past. En garde."

  


Harry's eyes quickly dropped to the sword at his side. He could still feel his connection with Asura running through his veins and making him _aware_ of everything. It was then that Harry realized that fencing, something he has never even dreamed of trying, with Asura felt almost natural. The blade is sentient, more alive than most of the cold figures who have spoken with him thus far, and only now does Harry feel **complete**. "En garde."

  


Two blades met in a vicious clash, but both held true. Silver bored into green as the crimson and silver swords drew sparks, neither allowing the other to master them. Draco then had enough with the deadlock and shifted his right hand slightly, gripping his sword farther up and slamming the hilts of the two swords together, locking them in place even more. He soon broke the lock by pushing Harry off, using his larger frame to force his opponent back. Needless to say, the half-mystic drew away and brought up Asura once again, not even the slightest bit unnerved by the advance.

  


Reversing his hold on SilverMoon, the Black Wing flashed the sword around in the form of a clock-wise circle. Harry's eyes widened slightly, a little surprised by the move as it snipped off a little of his hair. As the circle finished, Draco brought the sword down the length of the circle's diameter to make a quick end of the match. He should have known that a half-mystic would not be able to focus and was about to bring the blade down upon Harry's collar. "Concentrate!! Don't look at me, keep a look out for openings and--!!"

  


As a red glimmer and sharp ringing sound stopped Draco from forming the sentence, he looked down and saw that blazing green eyes were reflected upon the silver blade. He did not have the time to react as the jade color turned dark blue.

  


"I was looking out for openings. I am afraid that it was you who let down your guard, Draco," muttered Harry before he drew back into a defensive position. Draco raised a gloved hand to his right cheek and was amazed to feel a slight pain from where he touched. To Harry's surprise, there was a slight smile on the mystic's face which actually reached up to his eyes as Draco returned guard position once again. "I see that you are not as incompetent as you appear to be. Or perhaps that was just dumb luck?"

  


Harry knew that Draco was just trying to provoke him, but to his horror, he found that a cold fury was beginning to fill him. Asura's color brightened as static laced his hair. Harry did not even realize that he was smiling recklessly and has a merciless look in his eyes. Frankly, that please Draco to no extent. Mystics are merciless and that is what this half-mystic is showing at the moment. Draco quickly bowed, saluted the other, and walked forward until he was only a sword's length away from Harry. "Are you finally finished glaring at me? Shall we begin again?"

  


With a sharp nod, the half-mystic drew Asura once again and swung it around to meet SilverMoon with a sharp sound. Proving that he was not all talk, Draco quickly broke away and lunged forward viciously, just missing his opponent. Harry just smiled once again, there was something about Asura which made him feel whole, and Draco better be ready to fight for his life just as the half-mystic is ready to fight for his.

  


Hurriedly stepping aside, Hary dodged the thrust aimed at his side. He smiled thinly as he sized up the mystic who was proving to be a worthy teacher, but he and Asura were also getting extremely restless. Draco feinted a few times without intending to strike, trying to have Harry concentrate on his accuracy better than trying to make an end of the battle as quickly as possible. "This is quite pathetic, you know?" He has been a mystic longer than Harry has; thus, he is more disciplined and has other ways of controlling his temper--since he has eternity to do so. "I better make an end of this."

  


Draco quickly parried several of Harry's blows and slid his blade towards the other's throat. It was a mere feint, but the half-mystic took it seriously and stepped back hurriedly. The Black Wing took that split-second to swing his sword down, under, and up to catch Asura and send it flying. Within the next second, the crimson sword has landed at the ground before Ron and Hermione, who stared at this with amazement. 

  


The merciless look in Harry's eyes dissipated into mild confusion and vexation towards himself as Draco drew SilverMoon to kiss his throat. "You have won..."

  


"I did not," snapped Draco, drawing his sword away and sheathing it. "You did. I should have stopped the battle long ago."

  


"What do you mean? You took my sword fairly!" questioned Harry, not understanding what all of this was all about. He could have sworn that he had lost since Asura went flying from his grasp.

  


The mystic shook his head before raising a finger to the cut on his cheek but keeping mercury eyes on emerald. "The battle ended long ago when you gave me this. I just continued the battle on to see how your skills could be honed further. You show great promise, but tend to attack wildly when provoked. Moreover, I am amazed at what skill you have because that was obviously your first fencing bout."

  


_**the radiant white ray that lies above me**_

_**under the name of the lord of all light**_

_**I set you free**_

_**guided by the sacred ellipse**_

_**to the tear which tarnishes my way**_

_**bring forth healing**_

  


Harry watched, fascinated as the bleeding cut completely disappeared from Draco's face. He could not resist raising a hand to make certain that the rend was gone rather than just covered up by some glamour. This action earned him a glazed, startled look from the blonde-haired mystic. "Amazing... but how could you have lost?"

  


"Didn't you know?" asked Draco quietly, unable to stop himself from also raising a finger to trace the silver scar on Harry's forehead. "The one who wins is the one who draws first blood."

  


Noticing that Harry was looking aghast, Draco allowed a tiny smile to cross his face. The expression on his charge was so different from the recklessness in the green eyes during the bout. It was just another fascination characteristic which draws the Black Wing to the Heir. "However, don't think that that is the last time you would ever face me. I will teach you the secrets of mystic fighting so that you will be better prepared for next time."

  


Draco's eyes suddenly hardened when he noticed Ron and Hermione approaching. He quickly walked behind Harry and drew his lips close to his ear. "One more thing: I am to be the only person who you could ever lose to. You cannot let anyone else get the best of you. That pleasure is mine and mine alone.

  


_"You belong to no one else, Harry."_

  


  


~*~*~*~

To be continued...

~*~*~*~

  


  


Disclaimers:

  


This is my first slash story ever, so I am sorry if it offends anyone. I decided to cross two things I really love, which are the Harry Potter universe and the Saga Frontier universe into a crossover-AU work of fiction. Thus, I own nothing. I'm not really too certain about writing this piece since this is a whole new frontier for me. Please bear with me and I hope you enjoy reading. 

  


  


Notes:

  


~I know, I know. I'm supposed to have the explanation of **Zero Princess **in this chapter, but it was getting too long. I'm sorry. I just started running off and couldn't stop... thus never getting to her. I promise that it is going to be in the next chapter, though.

  


~Next chapter is going to focus on Harry, the **Strategist**, and **Princess Hermione**. It will make up for what I had to cut out of this chapter because it was getting way too long. I'm trying to keep each chapter around 50KB or 5000 words. Thus, major bonding in the next chapter.

  


~I am also terribly sorry that I could not update last week and I have a very good explanation: I was off dressed up as Draco Malfoy with my friends and we wreaked havoc on the innocent minds of young children who were watching _Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets_. See? It's a valid argument!! I will be updating again probably in the next few days, but definitely before the 26th as a present to myself. (For my own irrational satisfaction if not for the satisfaction of others.)

  


~Note that practically all of the people who are considered as **Lords** in Chateau Aiguille such as Draco, Blaise, Ron, Cedric, and several others really, really, really, really do not like each other. In fact, they would truly enjoy tearing each other limb from limb. The exception to this is Harry and Severus... for now anyway...

  


~Yes, **Marcus **is **Marcus Flint**. Even some underdeveloped characters would have some parts in this story... and boy, I think that this is going to be a long one. There is no end in sight... so far.

  


~The price Harry had to pay Marcus was part of his life. It does not mean that he's going to die or anything, it just means that for the part of his life (or power you could say) that Harry sacrificed to feed Marcus' forge, he got a sentient sword named Asura as a substitute for what he lost and an amplification of the power he currently has.

  


~I am definitely NOT **Asura**. Asura is an actual sword in SaGa Frontier and is one of the most powerful swords in the game. It also has an extremely powerful counterattack when its wielder is hurt that can also be triggered even if the wielder is dead. Keep this in mind.

  


~I made up those spells in bold and italic, please don't kill me if you think they're very strange.

  


~For some reason, my favorite part of each chapter is that little introduction by Harry just before I get to the actual story... I don't even know how that got started myself... Anyone else agree with this?

  


~What do you guys honestly think of this story? It's weird, isn't it? Anything not clear to you guys? Please note that several issues in this story are **supposed** to be confusing and will be cleared up later: every single little motive and detail. E-mail me or review if anyone has any questions.

  


~I don't really have the time to look over my fic for errors, but I'll do it one of these days. If my grammar is terrible, please inform me and I'll ask Hideaki to give me a swift kick as a reminder to do more corrections.

  


~I feel as if I should mention this for some reason, so I am. The authoress Psykiapa was the one who (unknowingly) got me to start writing slash fiction in the first place. I don't know why I had to mention this, but I just adore her story!!

  


  


Thank You(s):

  


~I promised this section to someone and I guess it's time I pay my proper respects to those who actually read what strange things I write.

  


**JadeDragon**: Ah, so you found out from where I got the song, eh? I liked it so I just had to use it for this one. It seemed fitting, and I am glad that you agree. As for me, I am also very interested in where I am taking this... I just don't know where!!

  


**Slashybubble**: Why thank you!! However, I don't know about "very well-written" when Hideaki is breathing flames down my neck when he is picking apart my work looking for run-on sentences and tenses. Moreover, you DO have talent!! Lots of it!!

  


**Gia**: What would I ever do without you? Thank you so much for writing such uplifting reviews!! Whenever I have writer's block or whenever I am just not motivated to write, I just look at the reviews I have gotten so far or have Hideaki chastize me on what a terrible, ungrateful author I am and I am immediately out of my hiatus!! Thank you!! Don't worry, you'll find out why Tom is there.

  


**Redrum**: Don't worry, the "males being free to go anywhere except for Harry" thing will be cleared up later. I like where this is going too!! (I think anyway... well, whatever you guys say!!)

  


**The Hogwarts Four**: *snickers evilly * Hee hee. You update your fic, I update mine. Great creative talent? Thanks!! Great creative talent for procrastination!! Double thanks!! I really appreciate the reviews though, especially since we discuss them afterwards anyway. I don't know about the battle scene here though... not my best one... but I suppose it was sufficient. You're right though... signing autographs were just as fun as scaring the poor kids... *mumbles: I still can't believe that that kid actually thought I was Draco Malfoy who accidentally drank a wrong potion in class... He and his friends even asked me to beat up Ryan, who was playing Lucius Malfoy at the time...*

  


**AtieJen**: Strength and honor to you too, Atie. Don't worry, I'll also be explaining the world as I go along. But I don't know about the "quick update" thing... that may have been a once-in-a-blue-moon thing... ^^

  


**Rhea**: *tears up* Thank you... now if I could only hold my own attention and keep on writing the next part of this monstrosity of a fic...

  


**Hat Trick**: *gasp and turns to Hideaki with vengeance blazing in her eyes* How _dare_ you say I have bad grammar, you pathetic excuse for a Muse!! I'll deal with you later!! *turns back to Hat Trick with a wide smile on her face* Thanks a lot!! I really needed that boost of confidence.

  


**Hatsumomo**: A movie rather than a written story to do my imagination more justice? *faints dead away in bliss* I love my reviewers... I really, really do...

  


**Wiccachic2000**: Well, I'll keep the PG-13 rating for now. However, I'll have to change it to R one of these days because it's not always going to be this tame. Nothing going up to NC-17 or anything like that, but it's going to be less tame. **Note: tame in Asura's mind = killing off her beloved Harry Potter several times and reviving him again and again ** less tame in Asura's mind = what she does with Ciato from SaGa Frontier**

  


**Fireangle**: My descriptions are really vivid? I suppose so... sometimes I think that that is one of my few strong points. Well, here's the next chapter anyway.

  


**Aya**: I have to be serious, I'm crazy about mochi... especially sakura mochi with that leaf covering you also eat. I love your name, by the way. I guess the only thing that can explain that is: Weiß Kreuz.

  


**Sky Chief**: Hey!! Somebody else is enjoying themselves even if they don't know why!! My kind of people!! Ten points to you for using the word "fascinating"!! I'm also glad that you think it's original. Thank you. One thing though: Tom isn't the tailor's son... seems like it though, doesn't it? I can't say more than that though...

  


**Chesire**: I certainly hope that this wasn't too long a wait... *Hideaki glares at Asura and chases her around, brandishing floppy disks*

  


**bthatcher2002**: Well, here's the next chapter... I love people who enjoy themselves without knowing why... since I'm one of them. I hope that this chapter explained a little bit more of the world though, I really don't want anyone left in the dark.

  


**Ru Av Natten**: *bows low, trips and tries to compose herself again while Hideaki groans with irritation in the background* I am honored to have received such a review. I guess the words intriguing and interesting sum up quite a bit of the description of this story, ne? I do love description and I am very pleased that you like my style. Don't fret, there are a lot more innuendos coming right up... in fact, there was one at the end of this fic as well as several scattered here and there...

  


**Nymphaline**: Sorry... uhm... very sorry about ending the chapter there. I just hope that this chapter makes up for it... *grins* I love the title of "Charm Lord Severus" too... he seems to be one of the least likely yet one of the most obvious for the role... besides, I think Alan Rickman is extremely hot. And no, he has not idea about Draco's... uh... er... extracurricular activities (?). But that's what's fun about it!! Something about Zero Princess is coming up in the next chapter or else I'll eat my Snitch whole.


	6. To Burn Out In Time

Dark Fascination

  


by Asurahime

  


  


~*~*~*~

Chapter Six

~*~*~*~

  


  


The clashing flashes of light and steel are nothing compared to the conflicting emotions plaguing my thoughts. Piercing the thick silence and echoing through the dim land, the crimson and white crosses are a mere attempt at justifying the guilt and facing salvation. I have not been in the embrace of this region for as long as the others may have, but I feel as if I am just as burdened by the weight of my cross as those whose hands are stained.

  


I am no longer innocent. I have been caught in an never-ending wild storm which has laid my heart bare and torn as if ravaged by wild beasts. This is a new life, tainted not only with black but also with white. White is the presence of every imaginable color... a sense of purity and a message of innocence--a color created of deception. There is true light in this region just as there is truth: very little, but when uncovered, as brilliant as a newborn star. 

  


But everything remains as an illusion, forged from silver and onyx and decorated by roses. Is my destiny to stay here forever? Is this my fate? To fight against the truth while blinded by the darkness and dazzled by the light? Guilt cannot be covered up by a white cross and the darkness in mystic eyes have shown me that.

  


Mystics battle for love. We battle for revenge. We battle for truth. We battle to cover the traces of our old lives. When we succeed, we can only live with a bloody cross and ask when does the darkness end? When does the present cease?

  


Everything becomes the eternal existence.

  


~*~*~*~

  


Draco could not suppress a subtle smirk as he descended the flight of stairs leading away from the training grounds. He could just feel Harry's glare boring irritably into the back of his robes every step of the way. "Training is over for now. I will come for you in due time. Just because you're the Prince will cut no ice with certain creatures you may meet." The Black Wing knew that he was testing the limits of his half-mystic charge, but he never knew that baiting the boy would be so interesting and easy. It was all Draco could think about as he evanesced into thin air, the platinum-blonde fringe of his hair falling into silver eyes to hide his merriment. "Remember your promise."

  


"Lord Harry, are you all right?" asked Hermione as she carefully tugged at the Heir's sleeves. She then frowned at the disappearing figure of the Messenger, just knowing that he had something to do with Harry's mortified state.

  


On the other hand, the Strategist had no qualms as he threw an arm around Harry's shoulders, surprising both the half-mystic and the Arch-Princess out of their gloomy states. "Enough of this!! Now that iceberg of a git is gone, we can give Harry a tour and the history of Facinaturu. After all, he's practically family now."

  


The rose-crowned girl flicked throughly confused blue eyes at the fire-haired mystic. It is not that she disapproved of his friendliness, for that is due to everyone's attraction towards the Prince of All Mystics; however, his insistence in unnecessary physical contact made her suspicious. It will not please Lord Severus to know that one of his subjects may be showing too clear a connection with his Heir. No, make that two because she had seen Draco behave in an even more solicitous manner towards the young half-mystic. "I suppose so. Let us go up to the lower right tower first."

  


Harry fixed Ron and Hermione a blank look but allowed himself to be led down the stairs and past the foyer. "The lower right tower? What is so important about that tower?"

  


The Strategist and the Arch-Princess exchanged furtive glances and gazed up at the said tower. "Well, you will find out when we get there. Let's just say that this will be your first lesson in Mystic History."

  


The emerald-eyed boy could do nothing begin to follow the two up another flight of steps, not realizing that he had lost sight of them due to his deep thinking. There were still so many things about his new life that he did not know... and even some that he would rather not know... Harry's train of thought abruptly stopped when he noticed a glint of black leather and pair of unfamiliar eyes observing him.

  


Turning towards his right, the half-mystic saw another mystic hiding in the shadows. When the mystic saw that Harry had seen him, he stepped into the dim light to reveal a young man about Harry's age. The new mystic was slightly taller, wearing black leather pants, boots, gloves, choker, and harness with no shirt. His dark blonde hair was streaked with dark red and tied back tightly with a black band, and in the middle of his forehead was an golden upside-down right triangle with a red circle in the center and flanked by two smaller triangles.

  


"So you're the human who inherited Charm Lord Snape's power," started the mystic, the misty light reflecting off of the ornamental triangle, collar, earrings, and the sharp twin fangs revealed when he smirked.

  


Harry was feeling more and more disconcerted as the man's amazingly amber-colored eyes searched his own. It would not have been so fazing if the leather-clad mystic's pupils had not been the sharp slits of a predatory feline animal. Soon, the half-mystic could not take any more. "Who are you? Stop staring at me!"

  


Rather than take offense, the mystic just smirked wider. "Aggressive for a human... This should be interesting. Someone is coming right now. I'll see you around."

  


A split-second later, two white-haired mystics guards appeared, swords out and hands poised to cast a spell. One of them faced Harry, a strained expression on his face and sheer confusion in his eyes. "Did you talk to Seamus?"

  


The other guard was not doing much better, for his voice came out with a hiss. "Infidel! How dare he sneak into Chateau Aiguille when he's been banished!"

  


What Harry did not quite comprehend was whether the hostility of their tone was due to the one they are chasing or towards him as well. Before he could ask, the two were already half-way gone. "He might still be around."

  


"That strange mystic's name is Seamus?"

  


~*~*~*~

  


Golden roses entwined the topaz coffin in the center of the room. Brilliance illuminated the circular room and reflected off the stained glass windows as a mockery of sunlight. Harry's face lightened up for a second before it subsided with hopelessness. He should have knowns that it was impossible that something so genuine and warm as actual sunlight could exist in a timeless region. "This light... is so cold."

  


Ron slightly smiled and shook his head, moving some rose vines out of the coffin's way to reveal the sleeping fack of a young girl with flame-colored hair and golden robes. "This is Charm Lord's eighty-first Arch-Princess, Princess Virginia."

  


Verdant eyes gazed at the girl sleeping in the coffin and at the Strategist in front of him before sending Hermione a questioning look. The Arch-Princess smiled in return before holding on to Harry's arm, nodding sad confirmation. "Princess Virginia is my younger sister-princess. She is skilled in the magic arts and is extremely loyal to Lord Severus. She is also the bravest princess in all of Facinaturu and has more than once proven thus through combat. Princess Virginia is also one of the deepest held in Fascination by My Lord."

  


Pale lips thinned even further as the forlorn Strategist traced the glass over the unconscious mystic's face. "She is also related to Ron."

  


"No, Ginny was my sister in the past life. We have both chosen to live forever together even though we are no longer related by blood," replied the green-robed mystic as he turned back to look at his companions. "Once mysticism sets in, one can't have anything to tie them down. That is the first thing you must understand."

  


"..... But I don't."

  


Hermione shook her head as she raised a hand towards Ron and the sleeping princess. "Princess Virginia used to be Ron's sister, but because of mystic rebirth, they are no longer related by blood. Lords such as Ron and Draco and Arch-Princesses such as myself are reborn into mysticism in similar yet different ways. Charm Lord will absorb the human energy of females into himself before giving them a small part of his own energy. On the other hand, Charm Lord will take the human energy of males and use them to feed the Eternal Flame that burns in Facinaturu."

  


Glancing around, the half-mystic was more than a little confused by the explanation. "Eternal Flame?"

  


"Yes," she said before pointing a finger towards a glowing cavern outside of Chateau Aiguille and at the far edge of Rootville. "Kurenai. He is not only the Eternal Flame, but is also the first mystic to ever grace the regions. The Eternal Flame supplies untarnished mystic energy in return, which is given to the Lords. This special type of energy drains off what little mortality mystics have left, thus turning our blood blue. Kurenai lives off of human energy because he has none of his own, just as no mystics except for one has no human energy left in them."

  


"And who is that last mystic?" asked Harry, his throat amazingly parched. Hermione hesitated as she tightened her hold on him.

  


The Strategist walked back slowly, raising a finger to delicately trace the silver lightning-shaped scar on the half-mystic's forehead. "Isn't it bloody obvious? You are."

  


Harry found that he could not speak as Hermione tenderly clung on to his arm and Ron trailed careful fingers down what used to be a mark for death. "So that is why my blood is purple?"

  


A soft beaming smile from the tawny-haired girl answered him. "There is a reason why Lord Severus is called _Charm_ Lord, and that is because his blood has the power to fascinate those of the opposite gender and, if he wills it, those of the same gender. There is no resistance to this unspoken command and one will remain mesmerized. Humans, on the other hand, have absolutely no imperviousness to going under Fascination."

  


Disconcertion was evident on Harry's face and both Ron and Hermione actually found the expression endearing. "What does that have to do with the color of my blood."

  


"Yours is a special case, Lord Harry, because you are incomplete. Lord Severus had found you already dead or at least at the brink of dying, with most of your blood already gone. He then chose to save your life and transferred some of his _own_ blood and thus some of his _own_ power to you. His blue blood and your red blood make purple as you already know. However, while some mystics may reject you for being a human and some humans may reject you for being a mystic, they will find that they are not able to fight enchantment because of Charm Lord's power in you. Your mystic blood will keep on trying to destroy your mortality, but your human blood will continue to eradicate your mysticism. In the end, it is up to you to decide on what you will live as."

  


"But they why do I not feel attracted to him at all?"

  


Ron shrugged slightly, turning towards the door to leave. "I don't know. Perhaps you are immune to his charm because his blood runs in your veins. Not only that, but also because you have inherited his mystic power."

  


It was as if he had spoken in another language, for Harry's face paled even further. "I don't want... I have no need for power... And what is the purpose of all these coffins anyway?"

  


His female companion walked out of the room and rested a slender hand on the coffin in which the seventeenth Arch-Princess of Charm Lord slept on. "These coffins are our refuge as much as they serve to imprison us. Lord Severus never lets go of things that he has claimed as is. This includes you and me."

  


Harry's face twisted with distaste at the thought of the man with red eyes having a claim on him like a child lays claim over a pet. "How childish can one get?"

  


~*~*~*~

  


The glowing lights of the crystals seemed eerily brilliant as Harry led his two companions through the twisting balconies and staircases of the Castle of Needles. Slightly disillusioned by what he had learned from Ron and Hermione in Princess Virginia's room, the half-mystic did not realize where he was going until he was jerked back by a worried girl. "Lord Harry--"

  


Exasperated, Harry pointed a finger to himself. "Harry."

  


Hermione seemed to hesitate, but she caught Ron's taunting smirk and bit back a sharp reply. "Harry. We should not go into this part of the castle..."

  


Harry fixed her a stare before turning to look at the scene before him. As with most of the rooms that Harry has seen, there was a coffin in the center, an amethyst coffin to be exact. However, what's different with this room was that the roses within were all brittle and dead, even the ones curling around the coffin. The _open_ coffin.

  


Ash was strewn around, the glowing crystals and stained glass windows in the room lay in shards on the floor, and the only source of light was the eerie gleaming of the crystals outside. "Is this place forbidden? That is strange... there's no one here."

  


_**the red lotus flame that sleeps within me**_

_**under the name of the lord of all fire**_

_**I set you free**_

_**guided by the sacred triangle**_

_**to the darkness that blocks my way**_

_**bring forth burning light**_

  


Fiery light erupted from the crystals on the floor and flared up into the ceiling, tinting everything they hit with reds, oranges, yellows, and an occasional pure white. "There, now it's not so dark," whispered Hermione.

  


Forbidden? The space looked more forbidding than forbidden, especially since the gate was opened with no wards or barriers. "No, but this is not a happy place," started the Strategist, unsure of whether to continue or to bite his tongue. Finding himself at the receiving end of a perfectly intense jade gaze, Ron decided to continue. "This place used to belong to Zero Princess, Lord Severus' first princess. She was also the only princess who ever managed to escape from the castle."

  


Next, all Ron saw was a flash of crimson as the Prince of All Mystics grabbed on to his collar, verdant eyes flashing with uncontrolled desperation. It was allurement in its purest form--unpremeditated and fierce. "How did she get away?!"

  


Quickly rushing over to aid the Strategist, whose eyes were glazed over, Hermione continued on with the lesson. "She committed suicide. Zero Princess drank a draught that was the opposite of the serum Draco had given you, giving her a short period of mortality, and she killed herself by blood-letting. By the cycle of birth, she was reborn into a human once more. Because Zero Princess no longer has mystic traces in her, even Lord Severus has trouble finding her."

  


Dark velvet seemed to caress Harry's ear as light glinted off white-blonde hair. "If you wish to know something else that is interesting, Lord Severus was looking for Zero Princess the night he ran you over. It's fortunate that he had."

  


Had he been surprised, Harry would have quickly jumped away from the sudden appearance of this entity. For some reason, he had sensed the midnight-blue-robed mystic near him and had time to steel himself. "Cycle of birth... I can't possibly be reborn..."

  


Amused silver eyes peered into his own, trained not to show any other emotion other than mild distraction and biting sarcasm. "Are you in such a hurry to leave then? Even if you follow Zero Princess' footsteps, know that you will still remember every bit of your experience here. That is the curse of mysticism--one never forgets, for time means nothing and neither does death."

  


Before the revived Ron could retort, Draco raised a gloved finger to signal his silence. "The lot of you should not be here, and I have merely come to get you out before any other foolishness is done. The Prince of All Mystics has had enough instruction for one day and should retire. This is Lord Severus' message."

  


~*~*~*~

  


Harry finally found himself alone as his three companions escorted him and left him in his room with bids of good night. However, what he could not brush off from his mind are the strange, hungry gazes the three of them were sending to him. The Arch-Princess he did not really mind, for within her eyes, the half-mystic saw nothing but unadulterated concern and hope for salvation. On the other hand, both the Strategist and the Messenger's bright eyes hold more than what Hermione's was telling him.

  


There was a need in them for possession. But even these desires are as conflicting, for while the Strategist wears his heart on his sleeve, the Messenger stalks his prey like a serpent before striking at the most vulnerable moment. But perhaps Harry was just seeing things, for he quickly put this out of his mind in favor of getting some rest.

  


Turning back to walk to his bed, Harry met with another surprise.

  


"Yo!" A familiar black leather-clad mystic was sitting at the edge of the half-mystic's bed, arms crossed over his chest and amber eyes looking at the silver scar on Harry's forehead.

  


Honest to say, Harry was far from pleased. "You again?"

  


Seamus raised himself off the bed and to his feet with all the grace of a cat, bowing in mock-deference while keeping his eyes fixed on the red-clad figure at all times. "I sincerely apologize for not properly intoducing myself last time. I am Seamus and if I am not mistake, you're Harry, right?"

  


Something about the comedian act of this mystic was slowly irking Harry even though he had no idea why; thus, he replied sharper than he meant. "I don't care what your name is. What business do you have in my room?"

  


The other shrugged, his good spirits barely dampened by Harry's reprimand and hidden insistence that he leave. "Easy there, Lord Harry unless you want another enemy. Mystics, as have obviously seen, are very easily affronted."

  


Raising an eyebrow at the chiding tone of the other, the half-mystic crossed his arms over his chest in a mirror of Seamus and walked further into the room, the phoenix-tail like hemming of his crimson robes flashing behind him like fire and Asura at his side shining dangerously in the shadowy mists. "How about you? Are you easily offended?"

  


"No. I'm different from all the others here. As you can see, they despise me. They say that I don't act like a high class mystic even though that is my standing. They even told me to stay out of the castle until I straighten my mind."

  


"But you sneak in?" Harry couldn't help but start feeling a little admiration for the pure nerve and perseverance of Seamus.

  


"The only one who can stop me is Snape himself. The others are no match for my power and intelligence," smirked Seamus knowingly, his triangular ornament glinted in the light, hinting that he was speaking the truth.

  


Stifling a scoff, Harry rested his right hand gently upon the silver hilt of Asura. "Well, aren't you just full of pride over that account."

  


"It's the truth," insisted the mystic, his eyes flickering on the sentient weapon Harry was holding. "I don't have to see to know that you have been in the company of the Black Wing for too long. You're starting to talk like him... it was quite interesting to hear that you drew first blood during your bout. But I am already tired of this small talk. See you around."

  


Just like the other mystics of Chateau Aiguille and just as he did before, Seamus quickly disappeared into thin air, leaving no trace that he had been in Harry's room. However, Harry stared at the spot where he was for a few more minutes in confusion. "..... What did he come here for?"

  


Brushing it off as unimportant for the moment, the half-mystic slowly allowed his guard to drop and faced the mirror in his room. His reflection stared back at him as it did in the pool of water some time ago. How long has that been? An hour? A day? A lifetime? He can't remember... although the pale face, emerald eyes, and raven hair present in the other's face are identical to what he used to have, how can he know that they aren't an illusion?

  


__I don't intend to tell you how to live, but as long as you are a half-mystic, you can only have chains of sin and a future of punishment... forever.__

  


  


~*~*~*~

To be continued...

~*~*~*~

  


  


Disclaimers:

  


This is my first slash story ever, so I am sorry if it offends anyone. I decided to cross two things I really love, which are the Harry Potter universe and the Saga Frontier universe into a crossover-AU work of fiction. Thus, I own nothing. I'm not really too certain about writing this piece since this is a whole new frontier for me. Please bear with me and I hope you enjoy reading.

  


  


Notes:

  


~Well, there is your **Zero Princess **for you. I promised her for this chapter didn't I?

  


~Wow, **Seamus** is wearing leather in this fic... that just makes me want to draw it. Note that he will be an important character, especially in the latter chapters of this monstrosity of a fanfic. Yes, he is strange right now, but he's going to get even stranger later on.

  


~Once again, there wasn't too much slash in this chapter... but it makes me want to hug it anyway... yes, I'm strange. Things are going to get even stranger in the next few chapters, and know that the entire fic isn't going to only be confined within this region of Facinaturu.

  


~Even if you have played SaGa Frontier before, I am going to rip that game's minimal storyline apart and add my own madness and theories into it!! Sorry for those of you who actually want me to stay on the game's actual storyline, but know that this is a whole, new, different type of insanity I am in.

  


~There's not really that many notes for this chapter... unless someone has a question that they want me to answer. The next chapter will also feature a talk with the strange, eccentric character of **Cedric** in my story. That is sure to be fun...

  


~Well, it's 11:28 P.M. when I finished writing this, so it's still technically 11/26 ^_^. Thus, I have not broken my promise!! *grabs the fic, prints it out and wraps it with wrapping paper* Yay!! 

  


  


Thank You(s):

  


~In other words: to all those people who put up with me in reading this fic.

  


**Cuey-chan**: I do? *blushes and digs her pens into the ground, trying not to look up* Thank you. I also hope that you read the rest of the chapters as well as the first and that they are to your liking.

  


**AtieJen**: Hello again... you know what? I like Draco's possessiveness too... you'll be seeing Sev soon again. (*cheers* Alan Rickman was in People magazine as an incredibly sexy guy!!!)

  


**Kupo**: *love hugging moogles * No, the ideas aren't mine, but I'm tearing apart the storyline enough that... ah well. About that "Tom" thing... er... I don't know yet!! I'm confused about that issue too!! I think I'll decide who he'll be as I go along.

  


**Popcorn**: I'm glad that you liked the battle scene. There's going to be at least four or even more of them in the way, so keep an eye out for them!! Working with Disney would be fun though... maybe something like another "Kingdom Hearts" game? (Hideaki: Keep on dreaming, Asura.... no, just hurry up and write!!) Thank goodness someone else finds dressing up as Malfoy a good excuse!!!

  


**Hippy Flower = Voldie's Kid**: Don't worry, I'll post more!!

  


**Willows**: *blushes darkly, digs a hole in the ground and buries herself in it* Yes, the tenses are my biggest problem... they have always been!!! Thank you for commiserating me in my grief and thank you for the review!

  


**The Hogwarts Four**: *grins* You update, I update.

  


**Gia**: Here Gia!! Finally I got a bit of Zero Princess in. It should satisfy some readers' curiosity... unless it just added even more intrigue about her... Oh boy....

  


**QueenStrata**: Yeah!! At least I now know one person who has also played this game!! Yeah, I'm basing it on Asellus' storyline and Riki's quest ­*was* quite annoying... especially when he turns into a monster you don't want. Answer: learn DSC for your human characters. Overkill is fun!!! I like hyper people, and Cedric is supposed to be ooc-eccentric because Rastaban was eccentric. Harry is ooc because, like Asellus, he is still insecure about being changed into a life-sucking parasite... who's really, really, really cute. Three will be a little of almost every Harry-slash pairing in this, so don't worry. I've made my decision on what will be the last pairing, but it doesn't mean that I can't have a lot of fun on the way!! I will worship your lengthy review forever!! *gets down on her knees and starts the worshipping ceremony*

  


**SapphireUndine**: I am really glad that you liked this fic!! Here's the next part then.

  


**Emimi**: I'm glad so many people like my ideas and descriptions... there... I think I just named off all my good qualities... ^_^ thank you for reviewing!!!


	7. Endlessly Clear White

Dark Fascination

  


by Asurahime

  


  


~*~*~*~

Chapter Seven

~*~*~*~

  


  


If this was not so deep underground, I would not have wished for the sun. I would not have wished for a world far, far brighter than the reflected light from a diamond. If I had not lived, I would not have known grief. If I had not died, I would not have been reborn to suffer the pangs of such loneliness.

  


How could something so beautiful be so corrupted? As bright flashes of light could summon quick death and as eternal life could bring the hope of an end, power can be either a blessing or an injustice.

  


A half-forgotten voice winds through my dreams at night, wrapping itself around my figure like a garrote. Razor-sharp threads twining around me like thorns. Unending pain lancing through me like despair. Blood quickly spills from where they touch, dying white skin with a brilliant shade of violet. No matter how many tears and no matter how much pain, I want so badly to struggle and fight.

  


But I am not ready for the worst. I am impure and tainted with sin and blood that isn't mine to begin with. To spend forever walking through this rose-entwined prison with a name that should be forgotten and an identity that is not mine. I must burn in the eternal crimson flames to purge my soul of my dark life. Not all endings can be beautiful.

  


Endlessly clear white.

  


~*~*~*~

  


"How are you liking the Chateau Aiguille so far, my Prince? I certainly hope that you are enjoying yourself." At the corner of Harry's eye he saw flashes of light green hair and pale orange robes which betrayed the presence of Cedric, Charm Lord's Black Knight.

  


"Are you actually expecting me to get used to a creepy place like this?" asked Harry in grim retaliation, not surprised that yet another mystic would appear to confront him during his walk.

  


Cedric merely smiled before taking out a black rose and placing it on the breast-pocket of Harry's robes. "That is very good to know," he added as he trailed a white gloved hand on the pale curve of the younger boy's jawline. Harry had never noticed it before, but this mystic's eyes were different from that of others'. The Black Knight's eyes were azure, as with many other mystics, but they reflected nothing but the dark burn of insanity.

  


The half-mystic found that he could not move as Cedric advanced even closer to him, gentle fingertips starting to trace the jagged edges of the silver scar and sapphire eyes drowning in deep verdant. "You are not a rose like any other, my dear Prince. Foolish mystics would have ridiculed me, cowardly mystics would have avoided my gaze, and the others would have just patronized me at my 'delicate mental state,' yet you had not done any of those."

  


Green eyes narrowed slightly, more with confusion than with irritation. "What does that have anything to do with me? Besides, who are you?"

  


"What are you doing to that half-mystic, Cedric?" drawled a familiar voice. Draco glided down from the middle of one of the many staircases of the castle of Needles and confronted the two men in the courtyard.

  


Cedric simply smiled kindly in return, not removing his hand from Harry's face. "The Prince of All Mystics is not a rose, do you not agree, Draco? Princess Hermione?"

  


The rose gate leading to the Throne Room soundlessly opened and the rose-crowned girl walked towards the small group. "I am afraid that I do not quite understand what you are saying, Cedric."

  


"It's good to know that I'm not the only one," murmured Harry as he brushed off the offending hand. "How could I, of all people, be similar to a rose?"

  


"But that is the point, you are not. Your Highness," whispered Cedric with almost reverent admiration. "A rose would not do justice to the one who could reset the clock of Facinaturu. As you can see, time means nothing here and nothing ever changes."

  


Hermione clutched on to Cedric's coat with a hint of worry on her face. Not a trace of a smile was visible on her lips. "Cedric, Lord of All Mystics, what--"

  


White-gloved hands buried themselves into long, black hair before Draco almost violently pulled the half-mystic away. "There is only one person who is capable of resetting the clock of Facinaturu. That person is you, beloved Prince of All Mystics."

  


Harry found himself becoming more and more uncomfortable as the cold fire in the Black Knight's eyes burned into his own. ".........."

  


A black wing shielded the half-mystic from the sight of the sapphire-eyed mystic. Draco drew Harry away and kept both arms around him. The Prince of Darkness was so deeply appalled that he didn't notice his charge grow still and even more troubled. "Don't be foolish. Are you saying that this boy is capable of possessing that kind of power?"

  


Orange robes flowed with an invisible wind as Cedric drew another black rose from them. With a glint in his eyes, he turned the rose over and showed a sharp silver blade. He brushed past Draco and Hermione and removed the first black rose from Harry's robes. Slowly, the green-haired man threw it, followed by the poison-edged rose, which speared it in mid-air. "I am not saying anything to answer that. Let me just say that some mystics are already growing fearful of Lord Harry's growing power." As the bladeless black rose faded into silvery ashes, Cedric turned and drew even closer to Harry so that the others may not hear. "You are not Lord Severus' 'son' and you are not one of his 'roses.' You are far more refined that that. You are an amaranth. I deign to make you my amaranth."

  


Three different colored eyes followed the Black Knight's figure as he walked away. While two were fearful, one was merely confused.

  


Draco ran a hand through his white-blonde hair carefully, slightly mussing the fine strands. "Cedric. He has finally snapped."

  


"He's as intense as usual."

  


"Is he the only one other than Ron who is happy around here?" asked Harry to Hermione, glancing momentarily at Draco, who was not paying attention.

  


The tawny-haired princess blinked at the question. "I beg your pardon? Happy?"

  


"Well, almost all of the men in this castle are always frowning and stalking around as if they are constantly oppressed."

  


A dark shadow passed over Hermione's features and she held on tightly to Harry's arm. However, her eyes remained fixed on the mosaic rose floor. "They do seem that way, don't they? There is one other, but..."

  


"Enough," came another's rough voice from behind them. "Lord Severus has summoned the three of us." Ron pointed to himself, Hermione, and Draco. There was a slight sneer on his face as he matched the Messenger glare-for-glare. He and Hermione vanished first, but Draco turned around and pinned Harry in place with an intense stare. 

  


The Black Wing's lips slowly formed into a smile which did not reach his eyes. "Cedric left on foot? He must really be trying to show you respect." Two heartbeats later, Harry found himself alone in the dark courtyard.

  


Looking to his right, he saw the gate leading to the the town of Rootville. Slowly, Harry stepped up and touched one of the light-lavender roses twining around the bars. This was really much like being caged. Although the purple traces of his blood was gone, the half-mystic found himself cringing from the remembrance of pain. Cold filled his heart as he steeled himself and rested a hand on the vermilion sword at his side. Harry could not help but feel sickened of how quickly he is accepting and adjusting to his surroundings. The disappearance of his surprise at finding people appear and disappear at any time was only one of the factors contributing to this.

  


For now, leaving the Chateau seemed like a good idea. Even if only for a fleeting moment. "How did Draco do this last time....? I am Harry. Open the gate."

  


Harry quickly sprang back, his crimson and black robes swirling around him, surprised by the loud screeching of the slowly opening gate. It sounded similar to the sharpening of a sword or the death cries of the condemned. With Draco, Harry did not have the time to notice this; but alone, it was the only thing with penetrated the veiled state of his mind.

  


~*~*~*~

  


Walking through the dim streets of Rootville, Harry was surprised to find himself standing in front of the ebony door of the tailor's shop. "... How did I get here?" murmured Harry. Wordlessly, he placed a white-gloved hand on the door's handle and pushed it open.

  


"Welcome, how may I be of--!!" The red-haired tailor's smile quickly faded upon seeing the elegant half-mystic in the open door. He held on to the edge of the table in the middle of the room to support himself, but his composure was quickly falling apart. "Y-Yo-Your Highness! Was there a-anything wrong with--"

  


The raven-haired half-mystic raised a hand tentatively, silencing the worried man. "No, there was nothing wrong with my robes, thank you." Although the words were sincere, Harry was surprised to see the red-haired tailor slump to the floor, his courage failing. "What is the matter?"

  


The man looked up at Harry with stricken blue eyes. "Please, please do not take Tom away, he is just an innocent boy and has never caused anyone any trouble!"

  


The half-mystic was taken back by that. He did not quite understand what the man was saying, "Why on earth would I want to do that? I'm human just like yourself."

  


Harry stared at the man on the floor before raising his emerald eyes to the stairs leading to the upper levels of the tailor's shop. Calmly sweeping past the tailor, Harry was amazed at how the man had not resisted as he climbed up the stairs, vermilion robes trailing after him.

  


When he reached the top of the stairs, the first thing he saw was jet-black hair similar to his own. A split-second later, red and green clashed. Tom's breath hitched up in his throat and he turned around, fearful of the intense leaf-green outlined by white and night.

  


Stepping closer to the taller boy, Harry raised a hesitant hand to show that he means no harm. "Hello. I'm Harry."

  


"Y-yes. Please forgive me," stuttered Tom as he buried his face in his hands and shakily walked up another flight of stairs.

  


"A strange boy." The half-mystic's eyes followed Tom's figure as he ascended the flight. Harry could just feel the discomfort radiating from his figure in waves, not even needing to see the instability of Tom's steps and the unnatural paleness of his complexion. It was fear.

  


Easing his grip on Asura's hilt, Harry ran a hand through his hair, removing the loosened crimson ribbon and retying it tightly. Stray strands of hair, black as Draco's wings framed Harry's face softly and with a white-gloved hand, he pushed said strands away from his eyes and behind his ear. Disconcerted at how the tailor's apprentice was acting, the half-mystic followed up the staircase.

  


"I am sorry if I have done something wrong. I didn't mean to embarrass you or anything of the sort," said Harry as he leaned against the railing of the stairs, marveling at the amount of clothes in the room.

  


Tom's shoulders hunched then relaxed, finally turning around to face the majestic Prince of Mystics. "Forgive me, your highness. I was just startled to see you again. It's been so long since I have seen a new face."

  


Walking to the middle of what appeared to be the shop's attic, Harry's face was showing awe and slight apprehension. "How long have you been here?"

  


Finally relaxing in the fascinating aura which seemed to project from his new companion in waves, Tom bowed his head and gingerly touched a length of cloth-of-gold. "I've been working for my master for three years now."

  


Harry walked towards the small window of the room and looked at the dark and lonely streets outside. The glow of the crystals bathed his face with an eerie, surreal light, making his green eyes even brighter. "Three years? What was your life like before?"

  


"I don't remember. All I know is that the only beings native to this region are your Lordship's kin, the Mystic race."

  


"You have no family anywhere?"

  


Tom shook his head, the dark strands falling in front of his crimson eyes. "I remember nothing from before. All I can recall is my arrival three years ago and getting used to being in the service of my master and Chateau Aiguille."

  


Hours passed with neither Harry nor Tom thinking about the time. As Harry left the shop after the lengthy discussion, Tom was amazed upon realizing how everything they have talked about seemed like a blur. "So terrifying, yet he was so beautiful. I never would have thought that the famed sleeping Prince of Chateau Aiguille could be so kind."

  


~*~*~*~

  


_"Kurenai. He is not only the Eternal Flame, but was also the first mystic to ever grace the regions."_

  


On the way back to the Castle of Needles, Harry recalled the mention of Kurenai's dwelling from Hermione. Winding his way towards the fiery caverns which houses the Eternal Flame, Harry slowly drew Asura and stepped inside. Although there were no visible signs of life, the half-mystic found himself stunned upon seeing the interior.

  


Crystalline flowers wound themselves around the walls, stones glowing every possible shade of red bathed the flowers with what seemed like blood, and a narrow ledge jutted over a pit filled with lava. Silver-grey mists rose from the trench, but belying the color of the area, they were as cold as the north wind.

  


From within the walls of the cavern, a voice resounded. "Welcome to Facinaturu, Lord Harry. I am Kurenai, the Eternal Flame who resides as the heart of this region."

  


Harry brought down his crimson sword and momentarily dropped his guard. This may have been the first time he had ever heard it, but there was something about Kurenai's voice that he couldn't help but trust. "So you are Kurenai. Hermione told me about you."

  


The sound of Kurenai's voice settled over the green-eyed half-mystic like a cloak. "Then everything you have heard is true. There are not too many mystics one can trust these days, and I could think of even more who cannot trust themselves."

  


"What about you?"

  


"Yes?"

  


"Can you trust yourself?"

  


A low chuckling sound filled the cavern, amused and sincere. "Trust, my child, is a virtue which resides in a pure heart. One who cannot trust one's self lives a cursed life."

  


Harry's silence told Kurenai volumes. It showed his confusion, his disbelief, and his acceptance. "I trust you. I don't know if I'm signing my own death warrant, but I choose to trust a voice in a dark cavern I know nothing about."

  


".......... You are unlike any mystic I have ever met. Not even Seamus, brash as he is, compares to you. You, Lord Harry, are the first in so long who have shown me even the slightest hints of being about to think for yourself." Kurenai paused for a minute, as if stunned by the idea. "The only other mystic I can remember acting even close to as you did was Severus himself."

  


Green eyes filled with pain upon hearing the name. "Why does everyone keep on comparing me to him? I am no Charm Lord."

  


The Eternal Flame tsked and dimmed slightly. "Perhaps, but you have the potential of becoming one. Being half-human also means that you can develop the skills that a human being has."

  


"And what are those?"

  


"Endurance, vitality, courage, hope, humility, the ability to preserve yourself, love, humility, and..." The voice stopped for a moment and Harry could just feel invisible eyes on him.

  


"And what?"

  


"........ Sacrifice."

  


A hollow laugh erupted from Harry's throat. "Sacrifice? When I have nothing left that I can say is truly mine? Bloody hell, I need to find a way out of this place before I go mad!"

  


"You are right. Facinaturu and specifically, Chateau Aiguille has the power to drive even the most obstinate to accept and become a part of its darkness. Severus is more than likely waiting for the moment when you break and comply to his every wish. That is what has happened to all of the one hundred mistresses he has had so far. It never fails. Only Zero Princess had managed to break the trance, but that cost her her life." The Eternal Flame grew slightly brighter. "Although, I must say that you are quite an extraordinary mystic to have made it this far while keeping your will intact. To add on to it, you're partly of the human race, who fall before this spell in hordes. Charm Lord must be getting frustrated by your determination against surrender."

  


Sheathing Asura, which he didn't realize he was still holding, Harry crossed his arms over his chest and pulled slightly on his choker. At least he now understands why he was starting to act and think so differently from normal. It was a risk, but he had one more question for Kurenai. "Kurenai, you wouldn't happen to know of a way out of here, do you?"

  


"Would you really place such faith in me?"

  


Harry let his arms drop to his sides, a fragile hope building up in him. "Yes."

  


"........... Return to the Castle of Needles and do not let your guard down."

  


~*~*~*~

  


Sprinting up the walkway leading to the chateau, Harry stopped in mid-stride as soon as he got past the gate. He felt himself grow rigid with anger as a scythe reflected green eyes back to him. The mystic holding the scythe smiled tauntingly and bowed, not taking red eyes off of the half-mystic for even a moment. But before he could even open his mouth to deliver a sharp welcome, Harry was already half-way across the rose courtyard. "Hey."

  


Blaise's eyes narrowed with irritation when he did not get a reply. "Ignore me will you? Nice attitude."

  


The younger mystic's reply was cutting and tight with rage. "Are you talking to me? Sorry, but I have nothing to say to someone who has tried to cut me down."

  


The Hunter Knight stepped back with mock-indignation. "Try!? My dear lord, I believe the correct word is **did**!"

  


Two seconds later, the raven-haired boy had Asura's point right on Blaise's throat. There was a burning fire in his eyes and bright sparks of static glittered in his hair as he pushed the shining edge lightly over the vein on the black-robed General's neck. "Do you really want me to return the favor? I know that mystics are immortal, but I have only experienced my own death as a half-mystic. Shall we see if the same thing really applies to full mystics? Hermione and Ron have taught me enough to know that I could just keep on cutting you open and letting you bleed to death."

  


Even with that threat, Blaise remained calm with the flashes of Fascination breaking the solid crimson of his eyes. "If you do that, sweet Prince, then I suppose that you do not ever want to get out of this castle. Fine with--"

  


"Tell me!!" The command rang out loud and clear. Harry's eyes were brightening into an electric jade as he levitated two feet off the floor. His robes started to swirl about him with an invisible wind and he removed Asura from Blaise's presence. He would never realize how much he looked like Charm Lord at that moment of pure desperation.

  


The other knight reeled back in shock. Blaise knew that there was great, yet dormant mystic energy buried deep in the back of the tainted mystic's mind; he just didn't know that the power would be so dangerous and uncontrolled. And enthralling. "In t-the town of Rootville is a pub... y-your highness should be able to find what you seek there."

  


Harry descended to the floor, eyes glazed with weariness and despair. Not even sparing the disappearing Blaise another glance, he turned and took two running steps.

  


Right into Draco.

  


"Watch where you're going!!" sneered the blonde-haired Messenger, surprised that a mystic would be clumsy enough to crash into him. He held on to Harry, about to give him a piece of his mind before noticing the clothing of the person. His sneer vanished into a scowl as he held his charge at arm's length. "Oh, it's you."

  


The half-mystic stopped struggling when he realized that he was trapped. Raising his face, he saw quicksilver eyes and cringed at the disapproval and vexation they conveyed. "Draco..."

  


"What is it?"

  


"C-could you please let go of me?" murmured Harry, feeling as if the mystic's grip was going to leave bruises on him.

  


Draco's eyes narrowed in suspicion, but dropped his hold reluctantly. "You better not be causing any trouble."

  


Harry flinched inwardly but didn't let it show. Sighing, he just shook his head. "I'm fine. I'll see you around." The green-eyed boy made his way past Draco and down the gate, not realizing that he had never sheathed Asura and not noticing the growing skepticism on his instructor's face. Knowing quite well that this may be the only chance he would even get to leave the tyrannical castle behind, the half-mystic returned to Rootville. The thought that Blaise may be lying never even crossed his mind.

  


Nearing the shady looking tavern a little ways from Marcus' shop, Harry finally regained enough of his senses to sheathe his weapon before entering. Needless to say, he was not very surprised to see that the place was just as dreary and barren as the rest of Facinaturu. He had not even taken five steps into the room when he heard someone sigh from his right.

  


"What a bloody dreary pub this is? Where is all the dancing and the singing and the wonderful service?" complained a teal-haired young man from behind Harry. He had his feet propped on a table and his hands behind his head. The chair he was sitting on was tilted back so far that it looked about ready to overbalance and send its occupant sprawling on the ground.

  


Lips thinning to hide an amused smile, Harry turned around and walked towards the table, standing beside it and focusing his gaze on the man in front of him. "You're not from around here, are you?"

  


The man grinned lightheartedly, entranced by the half-mystic in front of him. "What are you talking about, of course I'm from Facinaturu. I must say though, I rarely see someone who has such amazingly green eyes as you. Even the Mystic-kind doesn't have too many of them. That's what you are, aren't you?"

  


"Don't lie to me, I need a way to get out of here," stated Harry. "And no, I'm only half-mystic... or so I'm told."

  


The smile on the man's face didn't fade as he shrugged. "Girl, boy, mystic, half-mystic, human, or amazing bouncing ferret, it doesn't matter to me as long as you're able to pay."

  


Turning even paler than he already was, Harry rested an unsteady hand on the edge of the table and the other on Asura, his eyes trained to the dusty floor. "I... have no money with me..."

  


"I'm sorry my friend. As attractive as you are, I can't take anyone out of here without paying a fare. I don't believe that you would be willing to pay with your body and I am not interested with disinclined partners, no matter how enchanting and aesthetically pleasing they are." 

  


Quickly shoving himself away from the table, the half-mystic refused to believe that he would be stopped so short from attaining his freedom when it was so near. Then an idea almost sent him reeling back. It was a risk that he would just have to take. "Please excuse me..."

  


"Wait." The human took a small key from the chain around his neck and placed it on the crimson-robed half-mystic's hand, curling his fingers around it. "My name is Terry. I can give you three hours. If you find my money by then, use this key on the door behind this tavern. Inside, you will find a white cross hanging from a wall. It will ask you for a password. After you supply the password, follow the passage all the way to the end. I will be waiting for you there."

  


Terry had already gotten up and opened the door when Harry realized something. "T-Terry! You never told me the password."

  


"Oh, that's right," he smiled. "It's '_a beautiful departure_.'"

  


Harry watched the teal-haired man fade into the darkness outside before looking at the key in his hand. So close yet still so far away. He went out of the pub, closing the door quietly behind him. Brushing the fringe of his hair away and pocketing the precious key, the half-mystic saw a familiar figure walking towards the tailor's shop. Before he could stop himself, he had already called on the person. "Tom!!"

  


Tom turned around, a smile lighting up his features when he saw the red-clad figure of the Prince of All Mystics. The first friend he can remember. The only friend he can remember. "Hello, your highness. May I be of any service to you?"

  


Doing some quick thinking, Harry's lips thinned when another idea flashed through his head. It may not be the most proper thing for him to do, but he was desperate. "Actually, yes. You wouldn't happen to have some human money on you, do you?"

  


The tailor's apprentice blinked, slightly surprised by such a strange question. After all, what would the Prince of Chateau Aiguille need human currency for when they are given everything they wish? Despite his wish to help the half-mystic, Tom remembered one very important detail. "I am sorry, your highness. I would help you; however, my master keeps my salary for me."

  


Thinking that he should have known better, Harry shook his head and sighed. No sooner than he left the tailor shop and took a step on the bridge leading to Chateau Aiguille when he saw a red-haired man and tawny-haired princess make their way towards him. "Ron? Hermione?"

  


Twin smiles greeted him as Hermione clung on to his right arm and Ron threw an arm over his shoulders. "Nice to see you again, Lord Harry. Should we go again?"

  


"W-wait!" Harry remembered his idea from before and he realized that it was now or never. "Would either of you happen to have any human money with you?"

  


Ron and Hermione exchanged glances. Apparently, they were thinking the same thing that Tom was from before. The Strategist raised both hands in a gesture of apology. "Neither of us has any money like that. We never really needed to purchase anything after becoming mystics. Everything was provided."

  


"Draco would probably have some, perhaps--"

  


Growing whiter with fear of discovery, Harry replied too quickly. "No!! Please don't tell him!"

  


Exchanging glances once again, the two mystics led their charge back to Rootville, their speaking voices lower than normal. "Why not?"

  


Asura flashed momentarily, reflecting its wielder's disconcertion. "I... you two are the only ones I believe I can trust in that castle. I need the money to get out of here." Harry found himself looking into wondering pairs of blue eyes.

  


The Strategist spoke first, running his hands through his unruly red hair, messing it up even further. "Bloody hell, Lord Harry. I should have expected that you would pull off something like this sooner or later." For his use of language, he got a glare from Hermione. "Honestly Ron, you should watch your mouth around Lord Harry."

  


Harry hid his face behind a gloved hand, face tinted with a light lavender from the title. "Please you two... call me Harry."

  


"Oh, sorry... Harry. We just forgot." Ron smiled, followed by Hermione. He also removed two rings he wore on his fingers and one of the silver daggers fastened to his belt. "Don't worry, we won't tell anyone about what you just told us. We may not have money, but these are some things that you may be able to sell."

  


Hermione reached for the clasp of her necklace and unfastened it, then she took off the two bracelets she wore. "Here, take these too, I don't really have a need for them."

  


Speechless with shock and gratitude, Harry bowed his head and smiled in thanks. However, he soon looked up to see the same mischievous little smiles on the Strategist and the Arch-Princess' faces. "....... Nothing comes without a price, don't they?"

  


Both mystics burst out laughing, using Harry to support themselves and nearly bringing him down to the floor with them. "You certainly catch on pretty quick, don't you, Harry? The request is simple. Just take us with you. After all, Charm Lord told us to watch over you and be your guides."

  


"Besides, neither of us have seen the outside world for so long that we have forgotten what it was to have even the slightest sense of freedom. Neither of us have seen the sun and a clear sky for so long," sighed Hermione.

  


"Sure that bloody git, Draco was also one of your guides, but the two of us should be enough to protect you. Traveling as a group is better than traveling alone. So what do you say?"

  


  


_**If this was not so deep underground, I would not have wished for the sun.**_

  


  


This was something Harry didn't even have to think twice about. "Of course."

  


~*~*~*~

  


The key fitted perfectly on the lock. Too perfectly, Harry thought as he turned it and pushed the door open. Entering the door, the three mystics found themselves inside a normal-looking house, furnished with everything a human would need. In the right corner of the house was a small bed, a table and chess set, and a map showing the region of Facinaturu and many others that Harry was not familiar with. In the left side of the house was a small desk with the same glowing crystals as outside, a few comfortable-looking chairs, and a bookshelf filled with books.

  


"So this is how humans live? Things look less fancy here than back at the Chateau. It will be interesting to study these things when we are outside again," smiled Hermione as she moved to read some of the titles of the books.

  


On the other hand, Ron had quickly moved to the other side of the room which contained the chess set which currently had an abandoned game. Contemplating a move, his face showed no hint of what he was thinking. He moved the black queen two spaces forward, glancing at the work before him. "Interesting."

  


Footsteps sounded behind him as Hermione moved a white knight which used to be in front of the white king to take the black queen. She smiled slightly as she waved the piece in the air. "Got careless, Ron."

  


The other merely smiled as he moved his black bishop to take the said white knight, also putting the white king on check. "Hermione, Check........"

  


Moments later, the Arch-Princess found that she could not move any of her pieces to save her king. The Strategist had her surrounded. "No way..."

  


"......Mate." The grin on Ron's face widened at the look on Hermione's. "You were the one who got careless, Hermione. That move from before was called a 'queen's sacrifice.' You shouldn't have been so eager to take it. Ah well, they don't call me the 'Strategist' for nothing, you know?"

  


Rather than sulk, Hermione smiled at that when she saw the half-mystic prince trying to hide a smile behind a gloved hand. "I see. Thank you for that piece of advice, Ron."

  


"Anytime, Hermione."

  


While the two started to fix the chess board, a glint of white caught Harry's eyes against the dark walls of the room. A white cross hung still and silent, almost glowing in the soft light of the crystals. "This is it."

  


"Did you find what you were looking for, Harry?" asked Ron as he and Hermione stood behind their prince.

  


Nodding his head, Harry reached out a hand and barely touched the cross. Immediately, he pulled his hand back as if he was burned. Purple writing which looked amazingly similar to the shade of Harry's half-mystic blood wrote something across the horizontal length of the cross. The three mystics just stared wonderingly at it.

  


_**Password...?**_

  


"A beautiful departure," stated Harry, not even bothering to think since he had the words memorized by heart. He never bothered to ask why "password" was being asked when the said password was a phrase. Suddenly, the bookshelf that Hermione was looking at before creaked then moved aside seemingly by itself. "A secret passage, I should have know."

  


As soon as the three of them entered the secret door and went down a ladder, they found themselves in what looked like the caverns underground the region. Ron turned to look at Harry, face tinged blue with amazement. "Bloody hell, Harry. How did you find out about this?!"

  


_Would you really place such faith in me? Return to the Castle of Needles and do not let your guard down._

  


"I visited Kurenai, who gave me a hint, but it was that mystic who stabbed me from before who really showed me the way out," replied Harry, wondering if he is sane to still trust the Eternal Flame who guided him to such a dreadful enemy. He then began walking, thinking that it would be unwise to stay in one place for too long. Thankfully, the glowing crystals also existed underground. Ron followed right behind him.

  


Hermione walked a little faster to keep up with them. "'That mystic who stabbed you before'? Who are you speaking of? How did he look like?"

  


"He was blonde with dark, red eyes and black and silver robes. He was also carrying a rather large scythe around with him."

  


Involuntarily, Ron felt his hands clench in anger. "Blaise. I'm not too surprised that he would do such a thing. He is such a pathetic excuse for a high-class mystic."

  


"Oh Ron, he would say the same thing about everyone else. I must admit though, the description and personality does fit the image of Lord Severus' General," said Hermione. "I have a bad feeling about this."

  


"Don't really have much choice in the matter, do we?" smiled Ron. "But I'd rather be here than back there, learning how to fade in and out of existence and torturing low-level creatures in the training area when that bloody git isn't there."

  


The rest of the way was spent in silence, the three of them wary of any trouble which may appear. At the end of the caverns, Harry ran out in horror to see nothing but a deep crevice. Looking down, they could see nothing but darkness which seemed to go on forever. "What's going on!? Terry's supposed to be here!!"

  


"Who's this Terry?" asked Hermione, but before Harry could answer, they felt a strong mystic force moving quickly towards them. "Someone's coming."

  


Ron leapt in front of the half-mystic and Hermione, raising his right hand in the beginnings of a spell. "They're soon going to be here. The energy they're giving off is too strong for just the regular mystic fighters. It's probably some troops and one of the Princes."

  


"Let me talk to them," started Hermione, starting to walk past Ron and Harry.

  


The half-mystic stepped in front of both of them, drawing Asura and facing the way they came from. "No, I'll fight."

  


"But..."

  


"It's too late for that, Hermione!!" hissed Ron. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but of the Princes remaining, which are Cedric, Blaise, and Draco, I hope that the one coming now is that bloody vampire of a Grim Reaper. The worst will be that miserable git with wings."

  


"Who is a miserable git with wings?" 

  


"Damn...."

  


Draco stepped out from the shadows, a disapproving frown on his face. The blonde-haired knight raised a hand and the three errant mystics were quickly surrounded. "I must say that I am surprised that the three of you would go through such lengths and I commend you on your perseverance." He then strode up to Harry and caught the half-mystic's face between his black-gloved hands, drowning deeply in bright green. "The fun is over, Prince of All Mystics. Did you actually think that Lord Severus would let his most beloved person escape so easily?"

  


Without warning, Harry drew up Asura, slamming the flat blade of the sword behind Draco's legs and sending him sprawling in the dirt in a bundle of dark blue robes, platinum hair, and black feathers. "Don't you understand!? I would rather die than go back there!"

  


Before Draco, Hermione, Ron, or anyone else could say something, Harry had broken away from everyone. His robes trailed behind him like a phoenix's tail feathers during its flight. Draco quickly jumped to his feet, forgetting about being angry for once as he and Ron rushed after the half-mystic... who was heading for the edge of the cliff. "What are you doing!?"

  


It was too late. Harry only spared Hermione and Ron an apologetic glance before throwing himself off the cliff, preferring to be at the mercy of the jagged rocks below rather than be taken prisoner once again.

  


"HARRY!!!!!" screamed the two mystics who had followed the half-mystic's footsteps.

  


"That stupid fool!!" growled Draco as he jumped off the cliff following Harry, wings momentarily retracted to allow him to free-fall in the hopes of catching his emerald-eyed student.

  


Time stood still and not a sound passed from the edge of the cliff where the mystics who followed the Black Wing, the Strategist, and the Arch-Princess awaited the reappearance of Draco. None of them dared move and the tension in the air was so thick, not even a knife would have pierced it. It was a moment when neither life nor death mattered, only fate.

  


Seconds later, a harsh cry sounded from the edge of the cliff, echoing through the caverns. The mystics stood perfectly still as their eyes followed a dark figure with white-blonde hair be forced back up by an extremely strong wind. A split-second later, Draco sailed and was slammed bodily against the hard, limestone walls of the cavern, away from the cliff's edge. He struggled to stand, but managed to only kneel.

  


The tawny-haired princess' eyes widened at the sight as she raised her hands to heal him. However, the cries of other mystics around her cut into her concentration. "What is going on!?"

  


From within the darkness of the cliff came a loud, mechanical noise. Ron, Hermione, and Draco watched with bated breath as a human -made mechanical contraption known as a regional airship rose higher. What their eyes were most riveted to was the raven-haired figure kneeling on top of the airship's wings, alive and unharmed.

  


Draco saw what was happening and leaned against the cavern walls to draw himself up. Although he could never show it on the outside, he was smiling internally even as his followers were thrown over the cliff by the gale-force winds of the airship. It actually worked. His face twisted into a fierce scowl as he shouted over the noise. "How dare you bring a filthy human machine to Facinaturu!! Give back that half-mystic!!"

  


Jumping quickly from the wheel, Terry opened the door and raised a hand to pull a stunned Harry from the top of the ship. "I'm sorry I'm late," he said, smiling boyishly. The teal-haired man then opened the door wider to let Ron and Hermione jump in. "Hurry up and get in!! We have to get out of here before any more of them come!!"

  


As the Strategist, the Arch-Princess, and the Prince of All Mystics entered the airship and waited for Terry to get them out of there, Harry's eyes locked on with that of Draco's. To his utmost surprise, there was a genuine smile painted across the features of the one known as the Black Wing, Prince of Darkness. And it was for him. Confused even further, Harry did not break eye-contact with the platinum-haired knight until they were just too high to see any more of Draco. "I don't understand..."

  


As the altitude stabilized, Terry set the autopilot and walked back to see what he had picked up along with the half-mystic from before. "Sorry about that. I didn't think that I would be that late."

  


Harry shook his head solemnly, still unable to get Draco's smile out of his mind. "No, thank you. If you hadn't been there, I don't know what would have happened." He took out a bundle from his pockets and gave it to the pilot. "I couldn't find any human money, but I hope that you'll be able to sell these things and get more than enough compensation."

  


Terry smiled and ran a hand through his teal hair, amber eyes glinting wearily. He gently took Harry's right hand and kissed the back of it before turning it over and returning the bundle. "That was enough compensation. Keep this, after all, it was my fault that you almost got killed. I can't take what probably is extremely special to you when it was an error on my part." 

  


The half-mystic tried to say something, but the pilot had already moved away. "....... Thank you."

  


Ron and Hermione soon broke out of their trances enough to walk up to Harry, sitting down next to him. The Arch-Princess wrapped her arms around the half-mystic's waist and rested her head on his shoulder as the flame-haired Strategist draped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close, burying his face in the half-mystic's hair. "Charm Lord will probably be after my blood because of this. Draco too."

  


The two mystics just clung on to Harry tighter, as if he would disappear if they didn't keep a firm hold on him. "No, Lord Severus would probably be angry at the two of us because we had disappointed him. You are too precious for him to be harmed. Now that you have escaped, you are even more beloved to him." Ron drew Harry's head to rest against his shoulder and he gave Hermione's hand a reassuring pat. "You need not worry about Draco because he was the one who sent us after you."

  


The half-mystic stiffened in the embrace of his two companions. He once again recalled the wistful smile on the injured Draco's face as they disappeared into the ocean of stars. "What are you talking about?"

  


Yawning slightly, Hermione raised intelligent blue eyes to gaze into her prince's. "Did you actually think that the two of us met you at the bridge of Chateau Aiguille by chance? There is nothing you can hide from the one called 'The Messenger,' Harry. Draco knew from the very beginning what you were planning to do and that is why he tricked Blaise into telling you of the location of the hidden passageway at the right moment."

  


"But what was with the acting? Why couldn't you have told me from the very beginning?" asked the half-mystic, holding on to each of his companions.

  


"Charm Lord Severus has eyes everywhere, Harry. We could not draw any suspicion on this plan until we got you out," smiled Ron as he started to fall asleep.

  


Harry himself was falling asleep, the day's events were quickly catching up to him. "Then just answer me this. Why would you all risk so much just for me?"

  


"We don't know." Hermione smiled sleepily as she kissed his cheek gently. "But we do know that you are the only one who has ever tried to give even the tiniest semblance of life and freedom in that place. We choose to put our trust in you rather than Charm Lord."

  


"........... Would you really place such faith in me?"

  


The two mystics sighed in unison, holding on to their new leader like a lifeline. "Yes."

  


"Why?"

  


Ron smiled slightly, kissing the jagged edges of Harry's silvery scar before surrendering to sleep. "As we said, we don't know. We just can't help but be fascinated by you."

  


"Fascinated by me? Like the spell Charm Lord has everyone under?" Closing his eyes, Harry allowed himself one more question, not even staying awake long enough to hear the answer to it.

  


"No," whispered Hermione to the sleeping half-mystic. "We all are honestly falling in love with you. Forgive us."

  


  


~*~*~*~

to be continued...

~*~*~*~

  


  


Disclaimers:

  


This is my first slash story ever, so I am sorry if it offends anyone. I decided to cross two things I really love, which are the Harry Potter universe and the Saga Frontier universe into a crossover-AU work of fiction. Thus, I own nothing. I'm not really too certain about writing this piece since this is a whole new frontier for me. Please bear with me and I hope you enjoy reading.

  


  


Notes:

  


~Not too many notes about this section except that Harry, Ron, and Hermione have successfully escaped from Facinaturu. This is also the longest chapter. I am terribly sorry for not updating for a couple of months, but I hope that this made up for it.

  


~**Amaranth** is a legendary undying flower. **Amaranthine** means something immortal or endless.

  


~**Terry** is Terry Boot from Ravenclaw. I needed just a minor character for his part.

  


~If something isn't unclear, please inform me so that I can clear it.

  


~This whole story has not been corrected by a beta-reader yet. Sorry for grammar errors, tense changes, etc.

  



	8. Protecting Someone Frail

Dark Fascination

  


by Asurahime

  


  


~*~*~*~

Chapter Eight

~*~*~*~

  


  


Tears can only accomplish so much and anger gives way to nothing more than the most brilliant pain. I have barely lived to have discovered that freedom is nothing more than a fleeting dream. Closing my eyes, I could see even more truth in the unforgiving darkness than in the false light of the world. Opening them, I have learned nothing but that the ties of blood are not as strong as those of sadness and fate.

  


I can never forgive the bad ones and as the roses wilt into gray ashes and words fade into false echoes, so does my insistence in the past. It has taken so long for me to accept change that I have forgotten to live. To hope. To cry. To sacrifice.

  


Courage and love are more than skin-deep, but they are not emotions which are easily accepted and even less easily understood. I am willing to live past the lie and break the barriers surrounding me. A silver-gilded cage and rose-scented shadows can no longer haunt my waking dreams and follow down the path I tread. There are those who have chosen to follow me out of hell, but the journey to heaven is just beginning. These are the crossroads leading to eternity, an eternity in which green eyes can sing me to sleep once again.

  


Danger may lie ahead and the crimson flames of my end have started to flicker and burn, but I implore to the eerily gleaming moon that my questions will not fade with the winds. Legends must die to become eternal but my own dark life becomes amaranthine. I would create my own legend, for I am more than just a rose. I am an amaranth.

  


Kiss the moment.

  


~*~*~*~

  


The blue skies of the ocean of stars and the bright pinpoints of light passed through the windows of the airship. Harry stared at them blankly before closing his eyes and letting a sad smile curve on his lips. He didn't think that he be so comforted by their light, and only now did he realize that there was not a single star in the everlasting nighttime sky of Facinaturu. Everything there was so mysteriously beautiful yet so deceptive. "They're real, at least."

  


_But how can I know that? Everything that I have seen so far are so intangible and confined... _"So... artificial."

  


"Merciless."

  


"Unforgiving."

  


Harry lowered his eyes to meet those of the rose-crowned girl clinging firmly to his arm. ".............."

  


Eyes darkening, Hermione released the half-mystic's arm and sat up straight, bringing up her knees to her chest and holding on to them. A lock of her tawny brown hair fell across her face and she brushed it off with a careful hand. "Don't think that I don't know exactly how you feel, Harry. Even though we are no longer in the confines of the Mystic Region, that does not mean that Charm Lord has relinquished his hold on us yet. Specifically not on you. I have said before that Lord Severus is extremely possessive of those he has marked as his and you are bound to him by the ties of blood."

  


Ron ran a hand through Harry's black hair, moving the strands gently away from the boy's pale forehead, exposing the silvery scar. "It's difficult, we know. Draco might be on our side, but sooner or later, Charm Lord is going to find out that we have escaped. I fear what will happen when that time comes."

  


"Will he punish Draco?" asked the half-mystic worriedly, tensing up.

  


Thin lips thinned even further and flattened into a line. "Honestly, I don't know. Even if this does come to be, that bloody git is bound to find a way to ferret his way through without getting harm on himself. Besides, the Sanctuary of Kurenai is one place where Lord Severus cannot harm anyone."

  


"Why?"

  


"The Eternal Flame forbids any sort of violence within the sanctuary. It is a place of life and warmth in a dark and lifeless place such as Facinaturu. Although he is only in his metaphysical form, Kurenai holds precedence over the fate of all mystics," said Hermione earnestly, raising her face to look out the window. "I have forgotten how stars looked like. It's amazing how such small points of light could make such a difference in a black sky."

  


_Mystics are cursed,_ thought Harry. _I have not been in this life for as long as others have, but even I can tell that little detail. Otherwise, there wouldn't be eternal night. This is sad but true._

  


Blue eyes blinked down at him as Hermione stood up. "We're in danger. I can just feel it. We may be safe for now, but it's not always going to be so. Lord Severus is bound to send someone to either retrieve you peacefully or kill us to get to you."

  


"This may be bloody dangerous for us to attempt, but I want to try it either way," said Ron sincerely, getting up and lowering a gloved hand to help his friend up. "If we stayed in Facinaturu, we would have lived, but living that life was so empty. Dying would have been better if I am not such a coward as to fail to commit suicide. Zero Princess was brave, even braver than Princess Virginia."

  


Harry rested a hand upon Asura's hilt while the other fiddled with one of the silver clasps at the neck of his robe. Nothing they have done or will do can be classified as safe, but it is the danger of traversing the unknown which can prove most fatal. "The two of you really didn't have to come with me."

  


Ron just raised a hand to stop the half-mystic from speaking further. With a wide grin, he shrugged and rested an arm on Hermione's shoulders. "What is so difficult for you to understand, Harry? Herm and I wanted to go with you. Even if you told us to stay we would have gone with you anyway."

  


"Too true, that it is." The Arch-Princess had a smile on her face that was the mirror of the one on Ron's.

  


"Hey! Are the three of you still all right back there?" asked Terry as he set the controls of the airship from manual to autopilot and glanced back at his passengers. Seeing the three mystics stare back at him, seemingly unharmed from the day's happenings, he let an apologetic grin curve on his lips.

  


"Do you do this often?"

  


Nodding his head with a sense of pride, Terry answered the red-haired man. "Yeah, I'm probably the only one who is crazy enough to take something as big and foreign as a regional airship and sail it to that sinister place. If they say that curiosity killed the cat, then I should have died long ago."

  


Hermione protested this. "No, you are not crazy! That is probably one of the bravest things that I have ever heard a human do!!" Realizing what she said, a blush came over her face. "T-that doesn't mean that I have had a lot of contact with humans, but attempting such a thing is courageous enough!"

  


Terry guffawed and wiped a tear coming out of the side of his eyes. "I never did believe all they said about mystics being nothing but a bunch of cannibalistic, loathsome, blood-sucking creatures. The three of you are far more amiable that most humans I know."

  


Harry pretended to cough to hide his amused laughter before steeling himself. "Where are we going now?"

  


The pilot shrugged before heading back to handle the controls again. "You can tell me later where you want to go. Right now, we have to make a stop at Owmi so that I can get an engine check-up and refueling. I think one of your friends back there managed to hex most of our fuel away. We're just fine though."

  


"Humans are strange," whispered Ron in Hermione's ear. "And I think that this is all going to get even stranger."

  


Green eyes stared questioningly into cerulean. "Owmi? I've never heard of such a place? Is it another of these 'regions'?"

  


Terry raised a gloved finger to point at what seemed like a quickly approaching white-blue star. It sparkled against the ocean of stars like a magnificently cut white sapphire against rich blue silk. "That is the human region of Owmi. The entire place is surrounded by crystal-clear water and have the most amazing food. The three of you should take a look around and maybe get something to eat as I take care of my business."

  


"Aren't humans afraid of mystics?" asked Harry.

  


At earned him a wide grin from the pilot. "Don't worry. Aside from his Highness' green eyes, the three of you look human enough to pass for the real thing. You shouldn't even have to worry about your clothing because you wouldn't believe the strange things the younger generations wear these days. Just keep your cool, don't suck anyone's blood, and don't go waving your swords in people's faces and you'll be fine."

  


"....... Thank you." 

  


......... _Someone is calling for me....._

  


~*~*~*~

  


Owmi.... such a beautiful and tranquil region untainted by the slightest bit of malice. As the three companions left the port through automatic sliding doors, they couldn't help but shield their eyes from the blazing sunlight which greeted them. Compared to the desolation and dusky crystal-light of Facinaturu, the brilliance of Owmi cut through the mystics' senses like a knife, burning its image into their memories.

  


Harry could have collapsed with relief, but he only tightened his hold upon Asura. Slowly lowering his gloved hand from his eyes, he let the sunlight blaze fully against his face, playing with his hair and highlighting his smile.

  


Seagulls took flight as Hermione hesitantly took a step forward into the unfamiliar region, slowly reaching a hand to link her arm to the fire-haired Ron. Both of them then turned towards the half-mystic, but neither could do anything but watch as Harry raised an arm to hide his verdant eyes once more. "Harry, is there something wrong?" asked Ron tentatively. He was as worried as Hermione over the current state of his Prince but had no inkling of what may be wrong with him.

  


"Nothing. Nothing, I'm fine," said Harry, his voice and resolve stronger than the two have ever heard him speak with. Hermione and Ron then almost stepped back with surprise as the half-mystic gave them a brilliant smile, the light glinting off Harry's dark hair to form a halo. "The light... is white here. I'm glad."

  


Harry walked forward until he reached the edge of a bridge which stretched across a gleaming lake. Removing his white gloves, he raised his hands to his face in memory. "I'm so pale. I didn't think that I could get any paler." Harry walked half-way across the bridge as if in a daze, his green eyes absorbing the light. A glint of white and red caught his eye as he looked that the water under the bridge. "What is this?"

  


Two figures approached either side of the half-mystic and mimicked his actions. "Harry, what are we looking at here?"

  


"There is something in the water," came the answer. "They look like rose petals or something of that sort to me."

  


Hesitating only a moment, Hermione leaned forward and squinted her eyes to see clearer. She stifled a gasp and frown when she saw what the petals were forming. "The petals are forming words."

  


Ron did not look at Hermione but she still caught the questioning glint in his eyes before he voiced it out. It clearly surprised him that she could see something in the seemingly randomly scattered petals that he could not. "What are they spelling out?" He saw the concentrating look on her face and smiled slightly. Then again, Hermione is much more cultured than him and Harry. The Strategist and the Prince of All Mystics are trained in the arts of strategy and war while the Arch-Princess has had the time to refine herself with more lofty pursuits.

  


"Water mystics are searching for their lost daughter," Hermione supplied, looking more than a little perturbed. "That's odd. Water mystics are usually protective of each other and would rarely let one of their numbers out of sight."

  


There came a sudden start from the half-mystic as he pinned his two companions with his eyes. Once again, they found themselves starting to fall under the unchecked spell of Fascination the Prince didn't realize he had cast. "There are types of mystics? I know about the lesser mystics, but there are mystics who live in lakes, rivers, and oceans too?"

  


An uncomfortable silence settled upon the three of them as Ron and Hermione fought to tear themselves or give in to the unconscious summons. When he did not get an answer to his questions, Harry realized what was happening and rapidly broke his gaze. "I'm sorry... I forgot that I am capable of that sort of thing sometimes."

  


A sigh escaped from Hermione as she clutched her hand to her chest, letting out the breath she was not aware she was holding. On the other hand, Ron just shook his head to clear it and reached a hand to ruffle his friend's raven-colored hair, loosening the crimson ribbon which held the strands together. "So sorry, Harry. But you really must learn to control that ability of yours somehow. Yes, there are mystics who live in waterways as well--called water mystics. They are lower in class, lesser mystics, but they answer to Lord Severus as well. I suppose that this one is lost."

  


"I see." Harry unconsciously raised his right hand in front of himself, palm-up. A ball of magenta light edged with white and black sprung forth momentarily in his palm before subsiding. As the light burst into particles of energy, Harry felt his mussed hair become tamed under the crimson ribbon once again. He looked at his hand in amusement. "Why am I not surprised that I can do that?"

  


"How terrible! She must miss her family just as her family misses her! Water mystics are very tightly knit," murmured Hermione. She turned to look at the baffled Harry and hid her giggled behind her hand. "That is just simple glamour, Harry. All mystics can do it."

  


Their conversation was heard by a kindly old woman who approached the mystics without fear. "Oh, so you young people heard about the water mystic that our Lord is keeping, I see?"

  


Her smile only widened when the three faced her with surprise etched on their features. She liked them on sight despite their strange clothing, so she went further. "The poor thing got caught in a fisherman's net about a month or so ago. Our Lord happened to pass by and took pity on the girl, taking her to his mansion to tend to the bruises and rope burns she got from the net."

  


"Where is this mansion?" Harry asked, keeping his head low to allow the fringe of his hair to hide his silver scar and uncommon green eyes. It would not be a good idea to bring more attention upon them then necessary.

  


The old woman's smile got even warmer as she pointed a finger to a large house resting on a hill far above and away from the rest of the town. "That is our young Lord's home. If you can, please convince him to let the poor water mystic go. There has been problems with the fishing and water supply since he took her in. The other water mystics must be worried about her. Good luck."

  


Harry, Ron, and Hermione each gave her a grateful, polite bow before rushing off with god-like speed towards the mansion. They did not have to say a word to each other, for there was an unspoken agreement between the three of them to check out what was going on. Something was not normal with a prolonged interaction with the human and mystic worlds. Although only a lesser water mystic is in question, she is still a mystic and most importantly, a life.

  


The three of them arrived in the mansion at about the same time. They could not help looking at their surroundings before approaching the house, for everything was the total opposite of Chateau Aiguille. Green bushes, trees, and small ponds with fish lined the way to the mansion. Instead of thorny roses, white lilies and golden daffodils sprung forth from the ground, tame and beautiful. The mansion itself stood like a gleaming white diamond among the foliage, a sheltering and protected sanctuary for the insecure.

  


Looking again, Harry noticed one more baffling element in the monolith. In the second floor of the house was a round rose window. However, instead of each pane being painted a different jeweled color, the rose's petals shone a strong white light. So simply and elegant, it is a testimony against the lavish extravagance of mysticism.

  


"Do you think that we should go in?" asked Hermione as they walked towards the gilded mahogany door. "Wouldn't it be rude to just barge in like this?"

  


A clicking and creaking sound was heard and Harry and Hermione glanced up to see a mischievous smile. "Ah well, it's open now. We might as well take advantage of this obvious offer."

  


Disapproval was clear in the Arch-Princess' features. She was about to reprimand the Strategist, but she changed her mind when she saw their Prince shaking his head and trembling with suppressed laughter. Hermione just shrugged her shoulders, grabbed on to Harry's sleeve and rested her rose-crowned head on his shoulder. "I don't know what I am ever going to do with you. You are turning as bad as Seamus!"

  


....... _Seamus.....?_

  


"I will take that as a compliment," Ron smirked.

  


Without further ado, the three mystics walked through the door and into a bright room. A staircase wound around the far side of the room and the crystal chandelier handing from the ceiling glittered with the light it caught. There was a gentle, pleasing Rococo style to the room which showed the calm, tensionless life of its inhabitants.

  


A young man came down from the staircase. He wore a loose, leaf-green poet shirt and white slacks. He looked congenial enough, but his blue eyes grew wary of the strangers who had walked into his home unannounced and dressed in strange clothing. "Hello, I am the lord of this house. How may I help you?"

  


"We heard that a water-mystic was in this mansion," started Hermione. However Harry, like Ron, was never one for much ceremony. "You must let her go back! Her family is searching for her."

  


Blonde hair flew back as the young man gave a start. His eyes flashed with a strange emotion which moved the three mystics. There was something about the unholy light within them which provoked sympathy and pity from the three rather than anger. "How dare--get out of here now!"

  


The three companions exchanged a look before turning back to leave. "Wait." Looking around, they saw that the lord had fallen to his knees, his golden hair in disarray and the glint in his eyes, gone. "Is it true? Is her family really looking for her?"

  


"Yes."

  


The lord covered his face with a weary hand, his face gaunt with fear and anxiety. "I know that I should let her go, but I--"

  


Hermione's voice was kind and calming as she cut him off. "Let us speak with the mystic." Ron and Harry then realized why Hermione's voice was so sympathetic. Ron nodded his head with understanding, but Harry's eyes darkened as he looked away.

  


"All right, please follow me."

  


~*~*~*~

  


The blue-green furnishings of the large, luxurious room gave an illusion similar to that if one is underwater. It was beautiful and elegant, but just like the deadly majesty of Facinaturu, everything is false. Unlike the vibrant shifting of the cresting waves or the calm ripples of the lake, the room was in a silent stasis.

  


"This is the room. The water-mystic asks to be left alone, though," started the young man.

  


Ron asked a question which had been bothering him. "What is her name?"

  


"She never told me... she rarely ever speaks at all."

  


The Strategist then turned away from him and went through the door. "I see."

  


Harry raised a hand to stop the man's coming tirade, sending an extremely mild spell of Fascination to the lord, meaning to stun and nothing else. "Please leave us alone. We would like to talk to the water mystic alone. She will listen to us."

  


The human's eyes were slightly glazed over, his limbs frozen in place before the three. "But--"

  


Ron and Hermione had already ushered the half-mystic into the room and closed the door. "Please excuse us."

  


As the door closed behind them, a splashing sound from the side of the room caught their attention. Light poured through the window and was reflected upon a pool of water. Iridescent flashes of light also flashed from the raised dais, as if gleaming off the scales of a fish or the sky after the rain. "I smell the blood a a noble mystic," started a quiet voice. A figure rose from the water. She had long, straight white hair, blue eyes, dark skin, and ears and tail like a fish. Sea-colored eyes rested themselves upon the black-haired figure who had approached. "But you are human!"

  


Pain lanced through Harry's mind at the truth of the mystic's words. Although he has managed to wake up and accept what he was, the half-mystic still couldn't help but flinch whenever someone brings up the topic of his impure blood. "..........."

  


"Have I offended you? I humbly apologize," said the mermaid quickly, lowering her head in shame. "My name is Fleur. I am a water mystic of this region's lake."

  


Pointing to himself, Harry smiled to acknowledge Fleur's apology before pointing to his other two companions. "My name his Harry and my companions are Ron and Hermione."

  


Ron pulled out a chair from the table at the center of the room for Hermione while Harry sat on the stairs at the side of the pool. He rested Asura upon his right shoulder as Fleur swam next to him. "Are you happy here?"

  


The water mystic placed both of her hands upon Harry's and rested her forehead upon them. "I know that I should be grateful because this human saved me... but I can't stand the stench of humans and I miss my family. There is nothing more that I can ask for except to go home!"

  


Red hair glinted blue-green as Ron stood near Hermione's chair, his green robes contrasting with the white of Hermione's dress. "Can we help you get out of here?"

  


"But my Lord his only a half-mystic!"

  


"You're right. I am half-human and half-mystic. I now understand and accept that. Still, I can try to get you out," replied Harry, smiling.

  


Pride was evident in Hermione's voice as she addressed Fleur. "He has inherited the blood of Lord Severus."

  


Fleur suddenly became panicked as she leapt out of the pool of water. As her body left the dais, her tail split into legs and a white gauze dress covered her. The water mystic quickly prostrated herself before Harry, her hands shaking as she took hold of the crimson trails of the half-mystic's robes and brought it devoutly to her lips. "Lord of All Mystics, Severus! Oh please forgive my insolence! I had not known, my Prince!!"

  


"Why are you so afraid?" asked Harry, uncomfortable at how Fleur was acting. "I am not him."

  


"I would die if I could ever offend Charm Lord!" wailed the water mystic. She took off a necklace with four white-blue pearl-like stones and smaller pieces of coral separating them. "Please take this as a token of my utter servitude. I am yours to command as you wish."

  


Harry backed away in shock, but Fleur was insistent, so he took the necklace. He examined it for a few seconds, clearly unhappy that the half-mystic was acting this way, but he put it on. "........ Come on."

  


Ron lowered a hand to help Hermione stand up. Likewise, the green-eyed boy drew both Fleur and himself to their feet. Something fell upon his palm and he raised the small round object to eye-level. It was a coral-colored pearl. Harry looked at the girl before him, who turned out to be a couple inches taller. From her eyes came salt water tears which traveled down her face in streams and along the curve of her cheeks. What surprised Harry was that the moment Fleur's tears left her skin, the drop formed into a pearl which dropped into the half-mystic's gloved palm. "We should go now."

  


Fleur wiped the tears from her eyes, feeling slightly ashamed that she would allow herself to break down before her prince. "But that man refuses to even let me leave this place! He has the front door locked!"

  


Scratching his head, Ron looked around. "How about a back door?"

  


It disheartened him to see the white-haired water mystic shake her head. "Damn."

  


"We'll find a way," said Harry with determination. "There must be a way."

  


Sad eyes implored to Harry, but blue-eyes were hesitant as Hermione gazed at him. "But he loves this--"

  


Harry headed for the door in a flash of red and gold, looking like the Phoenix he could never be. Resting his hand upon the knob, he addressed the three others without looking at them. "No one should be kept as a prisoner of another. It does not matter what the other wants or even if a life-debt is owed. The captive will break if not given the freedom they used to have. Let's go."

  


Fleur, Hermione, and Ron did not have to be told twice as the followed their Prince out of the door. There was no spell of Fascination to ensnare the three of them this time, but what the half-mystic said cut them so deeply that they could do nothing but follow. Each has known how it feels to be loved, cherished, and set up above others like one who has received a laurel wreath, but two of them also know the feeling of being abandoned. Experiencing this pain once is one time too many.

  


Outside, the four mystics were stopped by the young lord of the mansion, his face was gaunt and showing signs of shock and disbelief that these strangers managed to speak to the water mystic. "W-What are all of you doing!?"

  


The Strategist just shrugged as he gestured to the house and to Fleur. "Can't we just walk around the house? The water mystic is getting tired of being trapped in that room all day."

  


The young man's attention was instantly drawn to Fleur, who was hiding behind Hermione with her white hair hiding her face. When she looked up at him, his breath caught and his resolve died. "All right, you can walk around. Two things though, please do not go outside and please stay out of the basement. It has been infested with all kinds of horrid creatures lately."

  


Harry just smiled blindingly at the flustered young man. "Thank you."

  


~*~*~*~

  


"...... Harry, what are we doing here?" Hermione clung to Fleur just as the water mystic clung to her. Both were not terribly optimistic about the situation in comparison to the other two. "Didn't the man say not to come to this place?"

  


Harry just smiled as Ron put an arm around his shoulders. The strategist had an aggravating smirk on his face. "Since when has Harry or I listened to an order when we are desperate to escape?"

  


"Yes, if there are monsters down in the basement, there must be an opening of some sort somewhere from where they entered that is not the front door," added the half-mystic.

  


The Arch-Princess cocked an eyebrow at them. "And if there isn't?"

  


The smiles grew brighter. "Then we find a weak spot in the walls and break everything down."

  


Neither Fleur nor Hermione would find a way to argue with those points, but what they saw next did. The arched red door of the basement was not too large that it could be intimidating, but the chains, locks, and barricades which prevented the door from being opened could certainly pose as a problem. "How will we get through that door then?"

  


A mild laugh answered them as Ron pushed the two girls out of the way and stepped back a few feet from the door. "Leave this to me." The Strategist started running towards the door, the very air around him sparkling with mystic energy. Flipping in mid-run, Ron used his momentum to apply greater force as he used both feet to knock chains, locks, barricades, and the door itself off its hinges. How fun it is sometimes to be a mystic!

  


What Ron was not expecting was to be suddenly shoved aside. He closed his eyes, expecting more impact, but all he heard was a blade slicing through the air above him and the brutal death-cry of a monster. "Lord of All Mystics....."

  


"Ron!" cried Hermione as Fleur helped him back to his feet. "Are you all right?"

  


"I-I'm fine." He wasn't quite sure. "What was that?" Sapphire eyes opened and were drawn to a figure standing on top the what appears to be the ruins of the door. "My... my Prince."

  


Harry grinned as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a crimson cloth. "I don't know where than came from." He flicked Asura to the side to remove most of the monster's spilled blood before using the cloth to wipe the rest from the sentient sword. "I'm sorry about that, Ron. I didn't mean to push you that hard."

  


Three pairs of varying shades of blue eyes blinked disbelievingly at the half-mystic, who just stared back blankly. "What is the matter?"

  


"Did you do that?" asked Hermione as Fleur pointed down to the dead cockatrice on the floor. Its pale pink feathers were dull rather than their former glossy state, and the petrifying grey eyes were glazed over with a white film, signifying death. The peaceful look on its features belied the diagonal slash which almost cut it in half, blood pooling quickly on the floor like water from a stream. It was killed so quickly that it did not even have the chance to feel pain.

  


Harry sheathed Asura quickly, looking at his companions with trepidation. "Did I do something wrong?"

  


"No one can move that fast, not mystic nor human," whispered Ron. "Not even Charm Lord nor Draco can move at that speed without teleportation and they are the greatest mystic warriors of Facinaturu. You could not have learned that ability yet and there was no chance for a fade-out of your body before teleportation."

  


"Let us go on."

  


Not another word was said as they all entered the basement, on razor-edge from what happened before. Inside was dark, damp, and that very darkness and dampness was deceptive. Water trickled slowly from the walls and the air was thick with malevolence just as it was thick with humidity. No light penetrated these depths except for a few rays of light which streamed like holy spears through the darkness.

  


They descended two sets of winding stairs before arriving into a room in which the very walls moved and emanated a feeling of evil and insatiable hunger for blood.

  


The water mystic stopped in her tracks as the monster horde approached them, beady crimson eyes shining in the shadows. Even from far away, the four companions could already sense the evil intent of the creatures among the shadows. "They're coming."

  


If anyone had looked at Harry at the moment, they would have been shocked to see his eyes flash shaded of crimson similar to Charm Lord's. "Split up, we're going to take them one by one."

  


The road to heaven is long and filled with trials, for the pristine roads of ivory can be stained by the journey of mortals. Just as Asura is made be stained by the blood of the wicked.

  


~*~*~*~

  


Hermione extended her hands before her in the formation of a diamond. Magi spheres for the magic school of light formed around her before gathering within the diamond of her hand. Her features twisted with concentration as she cupped her palms and tossed the energy to the ceiling, bathing the room with light.

  


"I hate to do this, but you are in the way. I can't be helped," smiled the Arch-Princess as she stood up straight, bringing both of her hands to clasp her chest. White-hot fire blossomed in a circle around her as a sickle-like creature approached her, purple venom dripping from its vicious mouth and fragile-seeming wings extending from its back like blades.

  


She threw her arms up and threw her head back as if imploring or swearing to the sky. Tawny hair and white roses framed her face as they flowed with a strong fire-borne wind. 

  


_**guided by the crimson triangle I call upon the lord of fire**_

_**burn and raze through the land guided by the green star**_

_**the lord of the wind tears through the insecure**_

_**there is no forgiveness**_

  


The spell acted as a trigger as the sickle-bug approached the crowned mystic. The ring of fire blossoms grew and raged into an inferno. Searing heat spiraled from the air around Hermione, leaving dark feather-shaped scorch marks on the floor and decimating part of the monster horde, including the sickle-bug.

  


"Nothing you can do can stop us."

  


_**FlashFire**_

  


~*~*~*~

  


The figure in green smirked darkly as he wove in and out between big, slimy Gaeatoads and the shape-shifting Liquidmetals. Both were poisonous to the mystic and human races, but they were nothing when compared to Ron's strength and shrewdness.

  


Ron pivoted twice, bypassing the first Gaeatoad's giant tongue before its poison could paralyze him and the Liquidmetal's extensions of itself, which were laced with fire, before it could smash him with heat. This was all child's play when compared to the monstrosities of Chateau Aiguille, so the Strategist allowed himself to enjoy the fight. He finished pivoting and ended up behind the creatures, who were wondering where their supposed victim was before.

  


"Too slow and just plain bloody stupid!"

  


The mystic's right gloved hand shone a bright, magenta-white light as he raised it above his head. Like before, a fine mesh of energy settled over him like a veil, causing static to lace through the air. Ron's smirk then flattened to a thin, serious line. "Check."

  


All it took was one blow from that glove to incinerate the creatures. Said creatures were caught up in the mesh of energy to face into nothingness. A smaller smile than before curved on Ron's lips. "There is no allowance for a draw when you go up against the Strategist. Check and mate."

  


~*~*~*~

  


"Please!! Stop this and just let us go!" whispered Fleur as she dodged the raging claws of a Manticore. "I don't want to have to fight you...."

  


The Manticore just growled from deep within its throat as it rushed the insolent girl it front of it. There was something about her which smelled of sadness and of desperation, which pleased it greatly. However, there compassion it could just hear from her voice was driving it crazy with madness. It pleased it greatly that one of its claws had managed to draw blood. Raising the claw to its fanged mouth, it licked at the blood before spitting it back out. This was not the blood of humans which it craved!!

  


The _mystic_ must die.

  


Fleur figured that she did not have a way to get through the creature, for it has been driven mad by bloodlust and by the dark. The is no other choice but to fight. She pulled a strand of silver-white hair from her head and watched it lengthen and grow as strong as a garrote's wire. Her bangs hid her eyes as the Manticore reached for her once again.

  


"I hate that I have to do this."

  


Claws reached nearer.

  


"But you give me no choice."

  


Fangs were about to fasten themselves upon her shoulder.... and were stopped in mid-air. Blue-eyes glittered with tears as Fleur held on to one end of the thread. The other end was wrapped around the monster's throat from one of the beams on the ceiling. There was no sound coming from its throat.

  


"I am sorry. Good bye." Fleur pulled hard on the thread, cutting off the breathing of the creature which tried to kill her.

  


~*~*~*~

  


Harry's face was passive as he ran in a speed that the Banshee's eyes could not follow. Not even the bright colors of his robes could be seen at this speed and not a sound could be heard. He moved with the wind through the shadows and his footsteps were non-existent. Finally, he stopped in front of the female witch and drew Asura.

  


"There is no reason for us to fight, but let me just say that you all attacked us first."

  


Although the witch's features were beautiful, the sneer which twisted in her mouth made her look hideous. "That will be the last words that will ever come out of your mouth, human. Our leader will destroy all of you!"

  


The green eyes of the boy unnerved her, but that did not last because he disappeared again without a sound. Her sneer was wiped from her face when she raised her eyes and heard the boy whisper something to her ear. "That's too bad then. I am no longer a human."

  


She turned her head and the last thing she saw was green flashing with slight magenta color. Then, she knew no more.

  


The half-mystic jumped impossibly high into the air, Asura raised above his head with both hands as white sparks of electricity gathered along its blade. He looked down upon the frozen Banshee and as he came down, brought the charged sword down on her head and through her with such a force that Asura made a deep cut on the ground. At the blink of an eye, he released his right hand and held the crimson sword with his left.

  


_**Heaven/Hell**_

  


"It can't be helped, Asura." The weapon curved in a wide horizontal cut through the air before him and through the Banshee. The emotion in her face is still as it was before he leapt into the air and there was no semblance of pain even if she has been cut into four. 

  


Harry looked at the dead Banshee for a few seconds before shaking his head to clear it, losing the glazed look his his eyes. He quickly brought Asura close as to wipe the blood away once again, but he starts when there was not a drop on the sword's surface. "I hate this... but I am starting to understand why it must be done."

  


As he walked back to his companions, he could get a feeling out of his mind that someone or something is watching him at that moment. The Banshee had warned him that something more powerful than her or anything else they have faced so far is in the way, but what could it be?

  


_The road to heaven is long and difficult, but an honest heart would always know the way. But... what of me?_

  


  


~*~*~*~

to be continued...

~*~*~*~

  


  


Disclaimers:

  


This is my first slash story ever, so I am sorry if it offends anyone. I decided to cross two things I really love, which are the Harry Potter universe and the Saga Frontier universe into a crossover-AU work of fiction. Thus, I own nothing. I'm not really too certain about writing this piece since this is a whole new frontier for me. Please bear with me and I hope you enjoy reading.

  


  


Notes:

  


~This is actually something more like a filler chapter than anything, but a filler chapter that is important since it shows out beloved heroes the way out of Facinaturu.

  


~**Heaven/Hell** is an actual technique and **FlashFire** is a spell from the game and those are my descriptions of how they look. Heaven/Hell is not one of my favorite sword techniques in the game, but it's really a fitting one for this stage of character development. FlashFire isn't too powerful, but the way the spell looks is pretty cool.

  


~First it's **Fleur** the veela, now it's Fleur the water mystic. Any problems with this? I couldn't think of anyone who would have fit the part better, but I had to make her lose the accent.

  


~**Water mystics**. Think grey-colored mermaids with long, platinum-blonde hair and gills instead of ears.

  


~A **garrote** is a weapon of execution. It's really just a very strong wire which is used to strangle people. Gruesome weapon, I know, but I was feeling kind of strange when writing that part... I had fun though.

  


~I haven't updated since November and I should be skinned for it.

  


~Food in Owmi contain no crap like MSG.

  


~I left this at kind of a cliffhanger... I had to cut this kind of short too, forgive me.

  


  



	9. Kiss The Moment

Dark Fascination

  


by Asurahime

  


  


~*~*~*~

Chapter Nine

~*~*~*~

  


  


A sword is made for cutting and a spear for stabbing. Mercy is precious, but mercy can also be an indulgence in a world like ours. Although it has not been spoken, it is clearly what my previous actions have reflected. It is definitely what is reflected in the eyes of the Mystic Lord who had torn me apart and left my soul bare for all the world to see. That is, if I have a soul left.

  


I have become swift as the wind, strong as a storm, but none the wiser. I have accepted what has become of me, but I still cannot help feeling like a falcon confined in a silver cage. There was no set path that was not paved with marble and moonlight, but now that I have tasted even the slightest bit of freedom once more, the single road remains overgrown with thorns.

  


Those dreams of waking up to find that all of this is just a nightmare during a transient night are gone. I have become just like that transient night. Nothing else lies ahead, but I still want to believe in a future moment than in yesterday, whose midnight blue fades and wears out into cobalt. Before I could forget my past like a waking dream, I must understand that there is nothing about the past that was truly worth remembering. Unless I decide my future for myself and face all consequences, then I truly will have no soul left.

  


I would have sold it along with my humanity to an infidel for an eternity in hell. Until I find my way, I cannot show mercy to myself. There are those who continue to follow me in this exile and I may not know where a road would lead, but I take comfort in the fact that they are with me. I am a vagabond, but as long as they will have me, I will remain their prince.

  


Never-ending eternity awaits.

  


~*~*~*~

  


Crimson eyes narrowed into sharp shards of ruby as a crystal lamp shattered in the Throne Room of Chateau Aiguille. The crystal fragments fell to the floor, raining down and cutting into a rose plant like knives, leaving shredded rose petals scattered on the floor, tainting each fragment with a rose tint a deep as the last drop of blood in a mortal heart. Charm Lord Severus rested upon his throne calmly, pale lips curving into a cruel smile as he was presented with the image of a raven-haired, scarlet-robed half-mystic on the charmed floor mosaic. "Mine." 

  


Hearing slight movement outside the room, Severus dissipated the image with a wave of his hand. The rose-entwined gate leading to the Throne Room suddenly opened, revealing an unfluttered Blaise as he stepped inside, an arrogant smirk on his face. Charm Lord wanted nothing more at that moment than to smack the mystic's smirk out of his face. But he will listen to the news first... as if he didn't know it already.

  


"My Lord," started Blaise, prostrating himself on the floor, mindful of the crystal shards littering the area like crystallized rain. "The Heir has left Facinaturu, taking the Strategist and Arch-Princess Hermione with him."

  


"How fascinating," drawled Severus in a bored voice, not bothering to look at his black-robed General. "Tell me something that I am not already aware of, General."

  


If Blaise had not been so stunned, his jaw would have dropped to the floor in shock. "B-but your Majesty!! Aren't you going to send someone to bring them back!?

  


"Leave them. My Harry will return to me soon." Charm Lord inspected his nails carefully as he stood up, long black hair and intricate green and white robes rising and falling about him with a unseen wind. The whole effect is beautiful yet so menacing.

  


"What are we going to do about Draco?" asked the General, running out of ideas of what to possibly say to his Lord.

  


"Leave him." Needless to say, Charm Lord was getting irritated by Blaise's complaints.

  


"But--"

  


Without another word, Severus raised a hand calmly, but the expression in his eyes was ferocious. Blaise couldn't even make a sound as he was bodily lifted from the ground and slammed against the far left wall of the room. Charm Lord reversed his gesture to a fist with two fingers pointing to the right, which caused Blaise to hit the right wall, dragging his body through rose thorns and ragged crystals. Finally, Severus lifted both hands and formed a cross with the middle and index fingers of each hand, throwing Blaise to the ceiling and dropping him down to one knee on the Throne Room floor, dripping blue blood and untied dark blonde hair sticking to the blood flowing down his face and tinted with the shade of blue. This was the total opposite of his former unruffled appearance, but he prevented himself from collapsing, closing his crimson eyes against the pain. "My sincerest apologies, My Lord."

  


Charm Lord lowered his hands before disappearing out of sight, contempt just dripping from his tone as he addressed the injured mystic. "See to it that it doesn't happen again, Blaise. Do not question me again."

  


"Yes, Charm Lord."

  


"Harry is mine. **Mine**."

  


Blaise stayed there for almost an eternity before managing to get up again, heedless of the blue blood dripping slowly from his body and unto the rose petals on his path, dying them a royal blue.

  


~*~*~*~

  


Slowly letting out a breath, Harry's green eyes flickered over in Fleur's direction. "...... I understand how difficult it is, but you mustn't cry anymore."

  


The water mystic let go of her makeshift garrote as her former adversary's life force dissipated into shining pin-points of light. "I know that, Lord Harry. It's just that--it's just that that was the first time I had taken the life of anything."

  


"Mystics are creatures of charm and fascination, but they are also creatures meant to be on the battlefield. Eternal life gets boring and mastering the arts of combat and strategy only serves to ease off some of the boredom which comes with it. However," whispered Hermione tentatively, not wanting to upset Fleur any further. "Unlike most other forms of mystics and mysticism, those who live in lakes, river, and oceans never truly needed to know how to defend themselves. I don't even recall the last time I have heard of such a thing."

  


Green eyes fixed themselves on Hermione. "Is it a crime to do that for self-defense?"

  


Ron shook his head, burying his hands in the pockets of his green robes. "It is not a sin, simply uncommon. Water mystics are generally pacific mystics, but when they are threatened or when something important to them is in harm's way, they will stop at nothing to destroy the attacker."

  


Straight white hair fell around Fleur's face like an iridescent curtain, hiding her from sight. It was not as if she wanted to shed tears, especially before her future Lord, but at the moment, it was something that she could not help. "That is true. I am ashamed for it, but it had to be done. My family is still waiting for me and I can't die yet, not here!!"

  


A bright smile lit up Harry's face as he placed a steady hand on Fleur's shoulder. "Don't look down, Fleur. There is no reason for you to be ashamed and you did the right thing."

  


"Besides," chuckled Ron. "We weren't about to let you get killed after getting this far."

  


Hermione only smiled in agreement, but a sudden hiss sounded from the darkness, much like the rasp of sandpaper. Her blue eyes darkened considerably as she raised her hands in the beginning of a spell. "Harry, something is out there. Something which I really do not feel too well about."

  


"What do you mean, Hermione?" asked Ron, quickly wiping away what he can of the creature's blood from his gloves, which was not too much. The dark green liquid was seeping into the white fabric and spreading quickly.

  


Harry brought a gloved finger to his lips, motioning Ron to keep silent. The sound seemed to emanate from the damp walls and straight into the hearts of the four mystics. They had not heard of it before, but there was a sharp, painful keening in the tone. "........"

  


"My Lord?" Fleur hesitantly tugged on to the half-mystic's sleeve.

  


Turning towards Hermione and Ron, he placed a comforting hand on Fleur's. However, in the darkness of the basement, Harry's eyes became as hard and cold as ice. "Don't you find it strange that all the monsters we have fought so far were so easily beaten? The lord of this mansion couldn't have just been talking about those creatures when he warned us not to go here."

  


"So you're saying that those are just small fries compared to what else could possibly be here? Bloody hell, Harry!" The red-haired Strategist practically grabbed Hermione and put himself before the green-eyed Mystic Prince. "If whatever is down here hurts even a hair on your head, I'll kill them."

  


Fleur and Hermione exchanged glances. "What about us? We are the females of the group, Ron. Aren't you also going to protect us?"

  


Ron's cheeks were tinted blue as he glanced at everywhere except for Harry. "Uhm... of course!!"

  


There was nothing else Harry could do except raise his gloved hand in an attempt to cover the smirk on his face. "Enough of this." He quickly turned towards Fleur, holding on to her shoulders and making her face him completely. "Fleur, you are familiar with the creatures of the lake, aren't you?"

  


One couldn't even speak when Harry's involuntary spell of Fascination was cast, but when Fleur got full blast of the power within the young mystic, she could not do anything but obey whatever he wished. "Yes, My Lord."

  


While Charm Lord holds on to his mystics with rose branches riddled with thorns, slowly growing into their minds and ensnaring the victims completely, Harry's spell is woven of golden strands of silk. They could barely be seen, but stronger than chains and painless as moonlight. The victim do not even know that they are held captive, but those strings are capable of playing them like marionettes, moving not their minds, but their hearts. Unlike the rose branches, which can only be escaped through force, causing wounds and bloodshed, Harry's charm allows for freedom simply by surrender. Perhaps that was why he is still capable of emotions... and of love.

  


"Are there any predators of the lake that could possibly live on land or water? A large predator that is capable of driving creatures mad?"

  


"The Kraken," said Fleur without hesitation. Her eyes were half-closed, but clearly glazed over. "It is a large predatory creature, able to survive in land, but prefers water. It also prefers dark places, striking out with little mercy, piercing its victims with poisoned feelers before ending their lives... or controlling their minds. It used a low-class mystic which as been driven mad by bloodshed and greed. Only one who has ever seen it has survived, for the Kraken has a dangerous power of being able to control both water and electricity."

  


"Who was the one who had escaped?" asked Hermione.

  


"Me."

  


Harry waved a hand in front of Fleur's face and caught the water mystic as she fell against him, unconscious. "Thank you, Fleur. Rest for now." He handed the water mystic to Ron before glancing towards a shadowy door in the far corner of the room. Water covered the floor as it flowed from the bottom of the door, making the smallest sounds echo throughout the room.

  


Hermione's face lit up with a small smile that was visible even in the darkness of the room. "We will get you out of here Fleur. Despite all consequences we will get you out." The female mystic then lifted up her right hand towards the door, palm up and fingers apart. 

  


_**burning light tears all defenses**_

_**guided by the white cross of light**_

_**fueled through the golden circle of the sun**_

_**heal and destroy all dark**_

  


What little light filtered through the basement gathered at the tips of her fingertips into a spectacular ball of white light. Hermione drew the light above her head to be cupped by both of her hands, rays illuminating her figure in an image of an angel rather than a mystic. Quickly bringing her hands down, her eyes narrowed as they reached the height of her shoulders and sent the ball violently against the door in a beam of light.

  


_**SunRay**_

  


No sooner had the light impacted the door that it splintered into shreds of wood and metal. Smoke rose from the remains as the light turned to fire, burning the pieces despite the water pooling on the ground. The harsh wailing sound from before increased in intensity, forcing the three conscious mystics to cover their ears helplessly. It was a voice that could wake the dead, yet the water mystic slept on, deep in the sleep spell of her prince.

  


The cries stopped as suddenly as it had begun, but the flow of water had become more swift. Harry, followed by Ron and Hermione, walked through the broken door cautiously, not knowing what to expect except for what Fleur had told them. It proved correct.

  


Beady yellow eyes pierced the darkness of the void which welcomed them beyond the broken door. The eyes belonged to an enormous sea-green octopus, three times the height of Ron, with numerous feelers that had a clear, green poison dripping from the ends of each. An inhuman screech resounded from the throat of the creature, as if damning the four who had dared to enter into its domain.

  


"Lord of All Mystics... Fleur was right," clarified Ron, his breath coming out in a whisper as he stared at the Kraken in front of him.

  


"Ron! This is not the time to be staring fixated at it!" Hermione quickly jumped to the side as a feeler embedded itself where she had been standing. Forming a cross with her hands, the mystic princess slashed downwards, leaving a rose-colored trail of magic which sharpened like a knife and severed the feeler off.

  


Harry drew Asura in one smooth stroke and stepped in front of Ron and the unconscious Fleur, deflecting two more feelers. Poison from said feelers dripped to the ground with a hissing sound, making the water boil like acid. "Ron, take care of Fleur. Hermione and I will take care of this right now." He jumped away and rushed the Kraken, reversing his hold on the crimson sword so that the point is pointing downward from how he held the hilt. Harry ran until he was about a foot from the monster and after a split-second, all anyone could see was a clear streak of blue, light reflecting from a sword, and the v-shaped splash of blood as he came out from behind. The Kraken gave a loud cry of rage as its blood escaped from its body in torrents.

  


_**NoMoment**_

  


"Harry!! Now!" shouted Hermione, a rose-colored energy sword in her hands. Harry acknowledged her and rushed the monster once more. A feeler grazed his cheek as he came close, drawing a little blood, just as another of the creature's appendages tore off a white rose from Hermione's crown. Not minding what just happened, the two approached the main body of the monster. The Arch-Princess reached it first and made a diagonal cut, cutting deeply into the monster's body and grazing one eye. As she leapt away, Harry arrived, making a second diagonal cut that was perpendicular to the one Hermione inflicted. This time, he had blinded the Kraken completely, Asura dripping crimson on the floor and on to Harry's glove.

  


Breathing hard, Hermione dodged to the side, pushing Harry and herself out of harm's way as the blinded Kraken swung its appendages wildly, enraged by its wounds and the pain.

  


"Do you think that did it?" asked Ron, but he still maintained a defensive stance in front of Fleur.

  


Green eyes were shaded by black hair as Harry shook in head. "Don't bet on it, Ron." 

  


"Why?"

  


"Because here it comes again." Hermione also took a defensive stance in front of the Kraken, but another bolt of energy was being charged from her mystic aura, ready to be called should she need it. However, this time the creature was still and unmoving, in a moment of stasis which was contradictory to how it was before, thrashing around in pain and agony. There was something different about it this time, something even more dangerous.

  


Harry silently brought Asura up, sending two blue, circular blades of air pressure towards the Kraken. His pale lips drew a grim line as the Kraken didn't even seemed fazed by them.

  


**SwallowSwing**

  


Two feelers raised up to the air slowly and silently, to the point where not a single could could be heard in the room full of water, which reflected even Fleur's quiet breathing. It was when the appendages reached their pinnacle that the pandemonium started. Two columns of water slowly formed on both sides of the creature, in a gently circular pattern at first, but after a few seconds, the four mystics found themselves trapped between two violent waterspouts, each charged by electricity and with water whirling so fast that Ron and Hermione found themselves quickly trapped inside the swirling Maelstrom.

  


"Ron! Hermione!!" shouted Harry, but he was helpless as the second tornado of water bore on him. There was no room to run, but he rushed to Fleur and stood on front of her, shielding her body with his own._ Am I really going to die this time?_ He waited for the cold water to hit him and imprison him along with Ron and Hermione, but he would be damned if the bloody Kraken got Fleur as well. Gritting his teeth, Harry felt the water bearing on to his figure and trying to draw him into its center, but all he could see was white.

  
~*~*~*~

  


"_Are you happy here?_

  


_The water mystic placed both of her hands upon Harry's and rested her forehead upon them. "I know that I should be grateful because this human saved me... but I can't stand the stench of humans and I miss my family. There is nothing more that I can ask for except to go home!"_

  


_Red hair glinted blue-green as Ron stood near Hermione's chair, his green robes contrasting with the white of Hermione's dress. "Can we help you get out of here?"_

  


"_By my Lord is only a half-Mystic!"_

  


"_You're right. I am half-human and half-mystic. I now understand and accept that. Still, I can try to get you out," replied Harry, smiling._

  


_Pride was evident in Hermione's voice as she addressed Fleur. "He has inherited the blood of Lord Severus."_

  


_Fleur suddenly became panicked as she leapt out of the pool of water. As her body left the dais, her tail split into legs and a white gauze dress covered her. The water mystic quickly prostrated herself before Harry, her hands shaking as she took hold of the crimson trails of the half-mystic's robes and brought it devoutly to her lips. "Lord of All Mystics, Severus! Oh please forgive my insolence! I had not known, my Prince!!"_

  


"_Why are you so afraid?" asked Harry, uncomfortable at how Fleur was acting. "I am not him."_

  


"_I would die if I could ever offend Charm Lord!" wailed the water mystic. She took off a necklace with four white-blue pearl-like stones and smaller pieces of coral separating them. "Please take this as a token of my utter servitude. I am yours to command as you wish."_

  


_Harry backed away in shock, but Fleur was insistent, so he took the necklace. He examined it for a few seconds, clearly unhappy that the half-mystic was acting this way, but he put it on. "........ Come on."_

  


A few moments passed before Harry could open his eyes, amazed at the lack of pain. When the green eyes were visible to the world once again, the half-mystic found himself blinded by white light coming from the necklace that Fleur had given him. Each of the pearl-like stones emanated a pulsing burst of light, appearing to be communicating with the ring on Fleur's right hand. It took him a few more seconds to realize that he was dripping wet, yet completely unharmed. Bringing a hand to his face, he pushed back the strands of black hair that fell into his eyes. "What... happened?"

  


Blue eyes framed by silver hair smiled up at him as Fleur brought up her right hand, showing the blazing ring. "This is the MellowRing, blessed by the spirits of the lake. What I had given my prince is called the PearlHeart, a piece of the heart of the Ocean of Stars that has been scattered throughout all the regions. They both protect against every danger that water could possibly inflict."

  


Harry's lips turned up into a slight smile as he saw the light winking out of both necklace and ring. "Is that how you were able to escape the Kraken before?"

  


Fleur returned his smile with a brilliant smile of her own. "Yes, my prince."

  


Two tentacles suddenly shot past Harry, and he barely had the time to get both himself and Fleur out of the way before they were impaled. The Kraken was still alive and more furious than ever when it saw that its prey was still alive. It no longer minded the two unconscious mystics it held, and throwing them to the side wall, it began approaching the more dangerous of its adversaries, the ones still conscious even after the Maelstrom. They now know that even blinded, the Kraken can tell by the vibrations of the air and water of what is before it, living or dead.

  


Harry grew paler when he saw Hermione and Ron hitting the far wall with a cry torn from their throats at the pain. He would have rushed to their aid, but Fleur held on to his surcoat, a determined look on her face. Knowing that the half-mystic was going to question her about what she was doing, Fleur decided to answer first. "My prince, take care of the Kraken for now and I will take care of Lord Ron and Princess Hermione."

  


Jumping to the side, the half-mystic brought himself and the water mystic out of harm's way once again. "But you're still weak from that sleep spell."

  


Fleur smiled again before taking off her MellowRing, holding it before her until it floated between her palms. "I'm strong enough to do this."

  


"Take care." Those were the last words to come out of Harry's mouth before he brought Asura up, about to start his offensive, his body growing colder as he looked at the prone figure of his two friends. Green eyes narrowed in concentration as the half-mystic made his way to his enemy.

  


The MellowRing started pulsing with a silver-grey light as energy was drawn straight from Fleur's mystic aura. She couldn't help but flinch as she grew weaker and weaker at the draining, similar to as if she was losing blood. This was the reason why she rarely resorts to this spell, but one more look at the determined face of her enthralling Prince, the Mystic Heir, and she continued. Focusing on her targets and seeing that they were beyond the short range of her spell, the water mystic raised her ring above her head and charged the air between her and the two mystics.

  


Despite the calm showing on the outside, Harry's mind was a jumble of conflicting emotions. Even as he attacked the Kraken, furious at it for harming his friends, he was still hesitant with the issue of taking a life. He hadn't thought twice about destroying the cockatrice and the banshee from before, but he hated the rush of ruthlessness which spread through his heart after. It was too much like the predatory emotion present in the eyes of Charm Lord and Blaise as they looked at him. But looking around, he saw what set him apart from them. There was a reason for him to fight.

  


Obviously not pleased, the Kraken raised its appendages, starting to charge the air around it with electricity, about to attempt to create another Maelstrom. Although the spell no longer has an effect on the two remaining mystics, Harry knew that if he did not strike now, he may never have a chance again, for the static in the air was interrupting with the flow of energy from Fleur's spell. "Fleur! How much longer!"

  


"Just a few more moments, Lord Harry! Try to keep the Kraken from charging the air!!" shouted Fleur as sharp bolts of electricity began to surround the MellowRing, trying to block out the flow and slicing into Fleur's hands, drawing blue blood. "Please! Just a little more time!"

  


Having had enough and listening to Fleur's plea, Harry thought for a few seconds about what to do. It came to him almost like an epiphany. Quickly dipping Asura into the water surrounding them, Harry drew what little knowledge he had in transferring some of his mystic energy into the blade and the water coating it. He then raised it up out of the water and into the air, charging the particles surrounding the sentient sword and started running towards the monster, about to make an end of it once and for all.

  


Perhaps the Kraken had a special sense that came out when it was blinded, telling it that its end was near, for the flurry of attacks increased in intensity as Harry approached. As Death drew nearer, the Kraken gave one more burst of energy, forgetting about the half-mystic rushing it and throwing all of its appendages in a futile attempt to at least take down the water mystic which had escaped it before. This bad move left it defenseless to the damage that Harry's attack would inflict.

  


"Goodbye." Ducking under the outstretched arms of the Kraken, Harry drew the crimson sword in a similar way as he did with NoMoment, charging quickly as he drew near. But unlike the first attack that drew a clear streak of of blue, Asura cut straight through the Kraken, so efficiently that it was severed into two and the two halves immediately drew back together again to make a whole. However, at that split-second when the charged blade entered the creature's body, thin streams of water violently escaped from the fatal cut.

  


_**StillStream**_

  


As the water stopped flowing, so did the Kraken's life as it shriveled into a dry heap of sea salts, energy dissipating into the air in multi-colored flashes of light. Harry did not feel triumphant, but he felt relieved, pushing away the feeling of savage joy into the back of him mind at the death of the Kraken. Suddenly, he felt something land on his hair and shoulders, and there came a warm, soothing rainfall that was strangely inside. The half-mystic quickly cleaned Asura, sheathing the sword, before watching the crimson streaks of blood on his gloved hands and violet drops of blood from the cut on his face fade away like they had never been there. There was something about the rain which gave him a serene feeling of comfort, washing away the troubles that he had just experienced.

  


_**sacrifice to the lord of light**_

_**synthesis of life and water**_

_**surviving through the dark of night**_

_**saving ones who must not falter**_

  


_**LifeRain**_

  


"Harry, are you all right?" asked a male voice, cerulean eyes worriedly fixated on his half-mystic prince. "Are you hurt?"

  


"I am unhurt." A smile lit up the half-mystic's face at the sight of the Strategist, unharmed and dripping wet from the strange rain. He lifted up his right gloved hand and brought it to rest on Ron's left cheek, causing the other to close his eyes and bring up his left hand to keep the half-mystic near. Ron then drew Harry into a fierce hug, as if to convey how worried he had been. After being released by Ron, Hermione and Fleur had thrown themselves at the half-mystic, burying their faces into his shoulders to hide their anxious tears. Harry merely shook his head in wonderment and drew them closer to him, allowing his friends to calm down.

  


To the side of the room where they fought the Kraken was a door with sunlight filtering through. There were also blue-white reflections of moving water against the dark walls opposite the door. Harry smiled, a true smile.

  


"Is it finally over?"

  


"Yes..... you're free."

  


~*~*~*~

  


Fleur ran through the door and practically threw herself into the crystal-clear blue waters of Owmi Lake. She could barely contain her glee as she dove to the depths and resurfaced, much to the amusement of the three high mystics. Without warning, she drew herself out of the pool and latched on to all three of her saviors, eternally grateful to them for saving her. "Thank you... so much."

  


Unconsciously, Harry drew all three of them tighter to him, almost afraid that they would disappear the moment he let go. He shed not tears, but there was a gripping feeling in his heart which loathes the loss of a friend. But he knew it was better this way. Fleur has been gone from her family for so long, caged and trapped inside the marble prison of humans. I would be terrible of him to keep her because it is time for her to return. "Will you be all right from here on in?"

  


The water mystic simply nodded, not trusting her voice not to break on her. 

  


"Don't cry, Fleur," whispered Hermione, who was smiling brightly at the mystic. "We'll see you again."

  


"Take care of yourself now." The Strategist gave the girl one last hug before releasing her, eyes strangely bright.

  


"Fleur."

  


Fleur looked up one more time to see her prince's fascinating green eyes upon her. She clutched on to his coat, not caring that some of the silver fastenings were digging into her hands, and breathed in his scent. Red roses, silver, ivory, darkness, and light: her lord's scent was a mixture of these, intoxicating, beautiful, deadly, and unforgettable. "You are my Lord."

  


Blinking, Harry allowed himself to stroke her hair, confused at what she was saying. "Fleur?"

  


Adoring blue eyes looked up at him, glistening in their adoration. "You are my Lord, not Charm Lord, but the one I follow out of love, not of blood. I would willingly follow the path you tread and follow you just as my Lord Strategist and Princess are. But now I must go home. I will find you again at the time of Midnight, when the hour turns all light to darkness and roses bloom with blood-tipped thorns." She raised up her head and brought Harry's down with her right hand. Silently, the water mystic kissed the Mystic Heir, chaste but firm, as she saw his eyes, melancholy but of the most beautiful green she could ever hope to see. 

  


Whether Harry was conscious of it or not, Fleur's life now belonged to him. And she was happy.

  


"Thank you, Princess Hermione, Lord Ron. Goodbye, Lord Harry." Those were the last words the water mystic said before she dove into the water, disappearing from sight, with not even a ripple to signify that she was ever there.

  


"Harry," started the Arch-Princess and she and the green-robed Strategist leaned against the doorway. "It's time we also leave this place."

  


Harry raised a hand to acknowledge her, but before he could go back through the door, he looked back at the glistening pool behind him. The PearlHeart hidden amongst the folds of his robes began shimmering as brightly at the sunlit pool. The corners of his lips turned up slightly in the ghost of a smile. "Until we meet again, Fleur.

  


The three companions returned to the mansion in silence, but companionable silence, each comforted in the fact that Fleur was now safe and returned to her rightful home. However, Harry knew of another obstacle they had to face.

  


"Where is she?"

  


Three pairs of mystic eyes, blue, cerulean and green fixed themselves upon the Lord of the Manor. The human was almost frantic with worry when he didn't see his water mystic with her companions. Hermione and Ron looked away, but Harry met the man's gaze right on. "She's gone."

  


The lord's hands began shaking, his already light complexion turning even paler. "W-what do you mean by that?"

  


"She went back home and you will let us leave this place." The half-mystic started walking towards the front doors of the mansion, followed by Hermione and Ron, but the man stopped them. The human shook, but clung on to Harry's sleeves.

  


"..... I understand... I had no right to keep her here against her will if she did not want to stay," said the man, "but... are the three of you just like her?"

  


Hermione held on to Ron's arm, saying yes but not looking at the human before her. "Not exactly, but we are also mystics, if that is what you are asking of us. We had to do it, I'm sorry."

  


Blonde hair fell into the man's face, obscuring his features to the three mystics. "Then please, make the pain stop." A white-gloved hand passed over his face and before he knew anything else, he could not longer think, sinking deeply into unconsciousness. All he heard afterwards was the black-haired boy's voice. "Her name is Fleur."

  


Ron stepped forward, about to take the man's temples, but Harry stopped him. "Harry, what's the matter?"

  


"...... What are you about to do?" he asked.

  


"Erase his memory of her, take away whatever pain he's having right now."

  


"Don't." 

  


Hermione looked at Harry when he said that word, wonder what had gotten into him. The human had wanted to make the pain stop after all. "But Harry, hadn't he said that--"

  


The half-mystic brought the man over to rest upon a couch, calmly gazing down at the now-quiet features of the human. All he could feel before was grief, but there had also been a great amount of love and hope when Harry gave him sleep. "He will hurt more if you take away his memories of Fleur. Mystics and humans couldn't possibly live together........"

  


"So then--"

  


"... if things stay the way they are. If he loves Fleur as much as I think he does despite their differences, then there is no doubt in my mind that he will be able to meet her again."

  


There was a bright smirk in Ron's face and he slung an arm around Harry and Hermione. "Bloody hell, Harry. I didn't know that you were that much of a romantic."

  


Hermione giggled, but Harry just smiled and shrugged his shoulders as they made their way out the door and into the warm sunlight. "I didn't know it myself, Ron. Perhaps I have some connections with human empathy still."

  


"All for the better then," assured Hermione.

  


"Yes," whispered Harry, more to himself as they all walked back to the port, his long black hair glinting dark jade in the warm sun.

  


~*~*~*~

  


"What took the lot of you so long!?" mock-growled a teal-haired, amber-eyed pilot as he took off a white bandanna from his hair and jumped from his airship. "Ravenclaw is waiting for takeoff anytime, so let's go!"

  


Chagrined mystics took one look at the hyper pilot, glanced at each other, and sighed. Terry was just too hyper at times, much like Seamus, only not wearing leather. Harry caught something that Terry said and glanced at him. "Terry, what's this 'Ravenclaw' that you're talking about?"

  


Pride was about to burst from every pore of Terry's body as he flirtatiously bowed over Harry's hand, holding it and kissing the back. "That is the name of my beautiful airship, your highness."

  


Ron and Hermione couldn't help but grin as they watched the two from inside the ship, but they couldn't help a tiny pang of jealousy at how the pilot was acting towards their prince.

  


Drawing his hand back from Terry's grasp, Harry could only wonder if the pilot was half-mad. "Are you insane?" He couldn't stop it from coming out of his mouth and was starting to regret he said it at all, but Terry just laughed.

  


"No, you highness."

  


Confusion ran rampant across the red-robed mystic's face. "I'm a guy, but you just kissed the back of my hand as if I'm a girl. I don't know whether I should hit you or not."

  


A wink answered him as Terry guided him aboard the airship. "Girl, guy, mystic, half-mystic, human, or amazing bouncing ferret, it doesn't matter as long as they're as pretty are you."

  


"P-pretty!?" gasped Harry, not knowing whether to be simply angry or ragingly furious. Asura even flashed red for a few seconds due to its wielder's burst of emotions. Then he found himself smiling at the images of the twice mentioned amazing bouncing ferret in his position.

  


Terry just smiled innocently. "Pretty."

  


"You are an incredibly strange human." Harry entered the airship and sat next to Hermione, allowing the girl to rest her rose-crowned head upon his shoulders before letting Ron ruffle his hair once more. "You're not going to be able to get my hair more messy than it already is, Ron."

  


The other just grinned widely, teeth white against his freckled face. "I can try." He held up a hand and a comb appeared in it a moment later. "Then let me fix it. Long hair's just right for you, even if it can be quite inconvenient." Ron took the midnight, emerald-kissed strands from the crimson ribbon and started fixing it as Hermione did before.

  


They did not speak for the longest time, just allowing themselves to rest from everything that had happened so far. Even when Terry had taken off, he dared not break the serene air surrounding the three as they drew strength from each other. They all seemed so different, but they would gladly die for the others. Such a strange bunch of mystics...

  


Finally, Terry had to speak up. He did not know where they needed to go. He hated to break the silence, but it was necessary. After all, he will let the three of them suck his blood later if they wanted for disturbing the atmosphere. "Your Lord and Ladyships, I believe that it is time that you told me where you want to go."

  


Hermione and Ron immediately stopped what they were doing and looked at Harry. "Well, Harry. Where are we off to?"

  


"..... I hate to do this... but I think it's only right," he said, rubbing the silver lightning bolt scar from his forehead as Ron tied his hair. "I want to go to the human realm."

  


"Good choice, but there is one problem," started Terry, an amiable smile on his face.

  


The Strategist finished tying off the crimson ribbon and fixed his cerulean gaze on the pilot. "And what is that?"

  


"Which one?"

  


Harry stood up, startled at what Terry said. "What do you mean which one? Isn't Surrey around here somewhere?"

  


"Surrey?" asked Hermione, wondering what could her prince possibly be talking about.

  


Terry set the course on autopilot for a moment as he turned around, straddling his seat so that he was facing his three passengers. "Surrey? That doesn't sound familiar. Perhaps you're talking about a city within a region." He took out what looked like a sunburst, galaxy-cut white diamond from a compartment next to his controls and got up to move back with the three mystics. He stood up in front of them and took out a strange necklace from his shirt. The necklace seemed to be made up of blue-green and amber crystal beads with a large pendant in the center depicting a crescent moon within another crescent. He set the diamond on top of the necklace and made the diamond spin. Momentarily, a map appeared on top of the spinning diamond, consisting of triangles to separate regions and small pictures of what the regions consist of.

  


"Right now, we are here." Terry pointed to a blue triangle with his finger and the triangle expanded to show a sphere of blue, like a small planet surrounded by water. "Facinaturu is over here." He pointed to another triangle, this time dark rose in color, which expanded to show a dark sphere with red and white bursts of light radiating from the center. "There are many regions we could go to, but it will take an extremely long time for us to go to all of them. There is Manhattan, Kyo, Luminous, Shrike, the Magic Kingdom, Koorong, Devin, Shingrow, Yorkland, Nelson, Wakatu, Junk, Scrap, and many other regions."

  


"If that is the case, then we are in trouble." Ron wrapped both arms around Harry's waist and rested his chin upon the half-mystic's shoulder. Hermione rested a hand on top of Harry's right arm and entwined their fingers in a comforting gesture. 

  


Moments passed until the ever-intelligent Hermione pointed something out. "Harry, why don't you give a description of your region? This Surrey you speak of and what people you know from over there do for a living."

  


Harry kissed Hermione on the forehead, grateful that she had thought about it... as always. "Well, all of the houses are the same and there is very little of what people consider "magic." In fact, the people barely speak of it at all. All of the houses look the same and there are stoplights, roads, parks, grass, industries..."

  


At that last word, Terry perked up. "Industries?"

  


Taken aback by the sudden life of the airship pilot, the jade-eyed half-mystic took a second to collect himself before answering. "Yes, my Uncle Vernon works in the drill industry."

  


Ron lifted his head up and looked down at his mystic prince. A sudden grin came to his face as he exchanged glances with an equally smiling Terry. "I think we know just exactly where you want to go, Harry."

  


"What do you mean?"

  


"There is only one region in the human realm which has the industry and the parks and stoplights that you talk about, and that region is Shrike. It is the part of the human realm apart from all magic." Ron suddenly stopped and glanced at Harry, realizing something he hadn't known before. "By the way Harry, why did you say stoplights as one of your first descriptions of that mortal region?"

  


Hermione looked just as intrigued as Ron and Terry, drawing her gaze to Harry's.

  


Black hair covered Harry's face as he lowered his head, looking down to his gloved hands. He was struck by how he was actually dressed now. How would Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia react when he looks more like a "freak" than before, magic included? Perhaps this was a bad idea, but he still felt it in himself to tell them where he has been... not that they would care. "Stoplights. It was just because that was where all of this started. Charm Lord ran me over at an empty crossroads with his speeding carriage as I was out on an errand."

  


Standing up, Ron looked out of the window as Terry pointed to a brown triangle and expanded it to show four smaller globes, a particular one showing something similar to a flashing disco ball encased in a thin veil of shadow. "That's strange. I could have sworn that Lord Severus only hunts for Zero Princess at the darkest hours of the night."

  


"And that's probably why he never found her." Hermione couldn't help but interject.

  


"Aunt Petunia sent me out at night," answered the half-mystic, disheartened at remembering the event of his mortal death.

  


Slim fingers rested on Harry's chin as Terry tilted his head upwards, assessing how the half-mystic looked. The teal-haired pilot turned his head this way and that, yellow eyes thoughtful and searching. Finally, he stopped and let go, shrugging his shoulders. "So that means that you are missing... for at least a week, correct?"

  


"Yes." Harry was so fixated on the map that he didn't notice Ron and Hermione glance at each other worriedly behind him.

  


"Strange... I've been in that region for the last month or so, but nobody has reported anyone missing at all. My friend Colin and his brother Dennis would have told me."

  


"Really?" 

  


The Strategist and Arch-Princess suddenly no longer liked the way this conversation was turning out at all. There are certain things which they would rather not have their Mystic Heir find out so quickly, if ever. They decided to take control of the conversation again. "Seriously though, Harry. What kind of guardian would let their charges out so late in the night?"

  


Harry simply shrugged. "The Dursleys, Ron. The people I had to live with. Come to think of it, I'm not too surprised that they hadn't reported that I am missing. They pretty much think of me as a bother and are probably ecstatic to have me out of their hands. What fascinates me now is this map of yours, Terry. What is it?"

  


Strategist and Arch-Princess both gave sighs of relief at the end of that turn of the conversation. Hermione took another look at the spinning diamond as it began to slow down and gave a tiny frown when she looked at the details of Terry's necklace. "Terry, you are from the Magic Kingdom."

  


Taken aback by the sudden change of Hermione's attitude, Terry soon caught his mistake and smiled. "No."

  


"Don't lie to me, Terry. I know a RegionMap and a Gate spell when I see one." Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and waited for his answer.

  


The sea-haired pilot just gave a burst of laughter, pocketing the RegionMap and placing the necklace back under his shirt. "I wasn't lying, Princess. I **was** from the Magic Kingdom, but not any longer. I couldn't stand the training even if I mastered the spells of Realm Magic. I had just forgotten that Realm Magic is the opposite house of Mystic Magic, so I understand your sudden suspicion."

  


"No, I'm sorry," started Hermione, shaking her head. "You haven't given me a reason to dislike you, so I have no reason to be suspicious."

  


"Well, now that that's solved, let's all get along." Ron's grin was catching and the four people inside the plane soon found themselves laughing over nothing.

  


"Hear, hear." Terry then started walking back to pilot the plane, setting a course for Shrike. "Well, my Lord Harry, a RegionMap is a tool created by the house of Realm Magic to show all of the regions that you have been to. Combined with the Gate spell, a magician is able to cast a spell to take them to a region that they have been to before in a heartbeat, a little like mystic teleportation. Both require having to have been in the place one is going to. However, while mystics such as yourselves can teleport anywhere by picturing the place in your minds and could go to a specific place, magicians must have the RegionMap and can only appear at an entrance point of the region that is unhindered by barriers and shield charms."

  


"Is that why you fly this airship? You could be a magician after all!"

  


Terry grinned. "True, but I lack one of the qualifications of being a magician: the patience for it. All I want to do is complete this RegionMap by going where very few mortals have gone before."

  


"That's fascinating." Harry smiled, listening to Terry, but his gaze suddenly landed on Hermione and Ron. "But if that is so, why can't the two of you leave Chateau Aiguille?"

  


Ron shrugged and he threw an arm around Hermione's shoulders. "I can. Lord Severus allows for the Princes to go out of the palace so that they would be able to run errands and messages such as what Draco and I do, we are free from the veil of the region. However, Charm Lord gives that luxury to only a small handful of the Arch-Princesses, for he is more possessive of them because of what had happened to Zero Princess. If a Princess must escape the region without leave, they must do it as the three of us had."

  


"Will I ever be able to learn that?" asked Harry.

  


Hermione smiled and patted his arm. "With time."

  


~*~*~*~

  


"Blaise." Severus' crimson eyes blazed with unseen passion as he gazed upon the smiling figure of his Heir. All of this was just taking too long. Precautions must be made to bring him back.

  


The General appeared in the Throne Room, completely healed, but shamed to the point that he was unable to look his Lord in the eyes. He could still remember the flow of blood as each drop colored even the darkest crimson petal darker than night. It was not something he wanted to experience again. "What is your bidding, my Lord?"

  


Charm Lord brought his fingers to his lips, eyes half-closed in disinterest at the dishonored black-and-silver-robed mystic before him. Nonetheless, desperation has proven quite fruitful before. Besides, the disobedient Black Wing has somewhat disappeared, the Black Knight is not quite as his best, almost mad at the monotony of eternal life, the Strategist is with his emerald-eyed Heir, the Guardian has betrayed him, and the Illusionist is not the most reliable of the Mystic Princes. "Bring my Harry back. Use any means necessary." 

  


With that, he evanesced into thin air, withdrawing to Harry's former chambers to surround himself with the memory of the second who had escaped him. "You still belong to me, Harry. Nothing can take you away. Even if I have to destroy regions, stop time, and turn the worlds upside-down, I will find you." Severus glided towards the bed, running a hand through the smooth rose-colored silk covers and picked up a rose from the vase near the pillow. Looking at it momentarily, he smiled almost gently before throwing the flower point-first into the mirror, cracking the once-flawless glass into a million pieces.

  


Back in the Throne Room, Blaise stood up, blankly looking at the empty throne of his Lord before turning around and holding up an empty hand. A silver and black scythe decorated with crimson corundums immediately appeared at his summoning. Without a word, he took the scythe and made the symbol of an inverted pentagram on the mosaic floor, cutting deeply. The symbol glinted red, blue, green, and white before turning dark again. "Rise."

  


Three shadowy figures rose from the inverted pentagram, each facing their summoner.

  


Blaise retracted his scythe, looking at each of his shadows. "Go and find Lord Harry. Use any means necessary."

  


Three shadows nodded understanding before leaving, each headed in a different direction as the others.

  


Crimson eyes turned back to the throne, face unreadable, but Blaise was actually in turmoil. The very edges of his lips turned up and a white fang pressed against his bottom lip, drawing a drop of sapphire blood into a feral smile.

  


_Perhaps for now... but in the end, he will completely belong to **me**._

  


  


~*~*~*~

to be continued...

~*~*~*~

  


  


**Disclaimers:**

  


  


**Notes:**

  


~It's strange... it makes me wonder if it's even worth it for you guys to wait so long so patiently for me to update and be given poor quality chapters like this. Please tell me, is it worth it? *smiles* That is, if anyone is still reading this.

  


~Everyone's getting possessive, aren't they? Trust me, it's just going to get worse... or is it better? I don't know, it's up to your guys' viewpoint of this whole thing.

  


~I like Blaise. I honestly do. But there is no one else I can use who can portray the image of Ciato so well... (I would use Draco, but... he already has a better part in the whole) and to be honest, I had great fun making Snape smack him around like a beach ball... did anyone else? *evil, mad cackling emanates from the background*

  


~Harry clearly is getting more powerful as he learns attacks and spells, and please note that most, if not all of the spells and techniques are actually from SaGa Frontier. However, the incantations are not from the game... those cheesy lines are made up. Also, if some people (who are as familiar to Asellus' quest as I am... though I must say that's extremely, extremely rare) have noticed, not everything is in chronological order in accordance to the events that happened in the game. Also, I have added some extra scenes that were never shown, so please excuse them. I hope that doesn't bother anyone.

  


~*hides her laughter with a cough* Ahem... pretty Harry.... *coughs some more*

  


~Please don't mind the names of the regions right now. All will be explained in due time. **In other words, when I do that glorious thing called "updating."**

  


~For those who were wondering if this series was near its ending, I have one thing to say: **I have an extremely, and I mean EXTREMELY long way to go**. Once again, if you are familiar with Asellus' quest, you know how far I am into the story. But trust me, even if you have played the quest, it is not going to end there.


	10. Smiles Only Meant To Sunder

Dark Fascination

  


by Asurahime

  


  


~*~*~*~

Chapter Ten

~*~*~*~

  


  


I once dreamt of a bridge where light and shadow twined about each other like sunlight upon water. The reflection broke like a rainbow prism, chasing away the shadows to reveal the morning sun as it shone upon me. I felt so warm and so alive as sparkling drops of rain fell from a perfectly azure sky.

  


A dark-haired man with eyes the color of the sky held my hand as he tucked a white flower in my hand and behind his right ear. His eyes only grew brighter as stepped across the bridge. A lady with eyes as emerald as my own smiled upon me as she held me close to her, singing softly as if the song was only meant for me.

  


The two of them loved me, I know they did. I could tell it by the feel of their hands, their voices as they whispered softly into my ear, and the way the three of us crossed the bridge as a family. A family? How long as it been since I belonged to something like this? Never? Forever? I love this feeling, so free and untainted by roses, shadows, and moonlight. I loved the two as much as they loved me.

  


Until I woke up and realized that it was all just a dream. 

  


The rain which hid my tears, cleansed my pain, and blew the flames of hate away turned the world into colors of white, black and grey. My happy memories were slashed and dispersed into the night, fading so fast that I could only watch helplessly. All my tears started to overflow as the rain came pouring down like stinging needles falling from the sky. Why are we born into this life? Why do we die into the night? Only the rain appears to know as I regain memories of those I love when we met in the dark.

  


Light turned to dark as the man and lady faded away into the shadows. I am alone on the bridge of the present, stuck in limbo between the past and the unknown future. But now there is a small smile on my face as I took a step forward, away from the past. Although I do not look back, I know that two figures follow me as a white amaranth shines through the darkness.

  


Smoldering in the midst of time with an instant's kiss.

  


~*~*~*~

  


Red-white flames and ashen mists rose from the heart of the Sanctuary of Kurenai, illuminating the dark figure who stood, unfazed by the intensity of the fire. The crystal flowers along the walls could not have compared to the sharp gaze that the Black Wing gave his surroundings. Cold mercury eyes reflected the flames which both sustained and bound Kurenai, hiding the turmoil that would have been present in their icy depths. Draco merely approached the narrow ledge where a certain half-mystic had stood some time before, uncaring that the frozen wind coming from Kurenai's lair was tossing his platinum hair from its former unruffled state.

  


"For what occasion do you visit my Sanctuary, Prince of Darkness?" asked a voice as sharp as steel and as smooth as silk from the recesses of the cavern. It held sincerity and a great deal of obvious amusement.

  


"If you already know, Lord Kurenai, then why do even have to ask such a question?" Quicksilver eyes peered at the cold, silver mists emitting from the cavern. However, Draco was unable to keep the condescending smirk from his face. "You always did like playing mind games, didn't you."

  


A figure rose from the flames wearing flowing iridescent white robes that were trimmed with red, gold and the occasional violet, and a golden circlet with a ruby stone set exactly on the center. Stepping on the ledge over the trench, the new mystic stood in front of Draco with his robes, long white hair, and beard flowing about him with a familiar unseen wind. The mystic did not look young, nor did he look old as piercing, electric blue eyes twinkled merrily in the brightness of the Sanctuary. A second, smaller being rose from the flames immediately after, revealing itself to be a red-gold Phoenix with eyes as blue as the mystic's. The magical beast perched on Draco's shoulder, bright feathers contrasting against the raven wings of Charm Lord's Messenger.

  


Kurenai chuckled at the pained look on Draco's face and did nothing to deter the situation. "Oh, I see that Fawkes has taken a shine to you."

  


Draco gave Kurenai a disbelieving stare as the phoenix crooned his approval, nipping at the already messy platinum strands near him. The Black Wing could do nothing but glare at the Eternal Flame, who was barely trying to hide his laughter behind a hand. "Lord of All Mystics, it's times like these which makes me wonder how could you have possibly lost to Lord Severus."

  


Kind laughter answered him as Kurenai held out a pale hand towards Fawkes, who quickly flew back to his master. "I lost to Severus? My dear boy, I am still before you, aren't I? I am not dead but of flesh and blood. My flames still flicker, using up the same air as you do. I cannot lose until I am dead, dear child."

  


"Why did you tell that half-mystic how to escape from Facinaturu? Why are you conspiring with Blaise then?"

  


"Conspiring, Lord Draco? How could it be conspiring when all Lord Harry wanted to do was leave the castle? Isn't this better than to have him be trapped inside this darkness for all time like all the other Princesses?" The Eternal Flame chuckled, stroking Fawkes' brilliant feathers but keeping his smiling blue eyes on the platinum-haired mystic before him. "Or perhaps it is for some other reason that you didn't want the Prince of Mystics to leave?"

  


Quicksilver eyes narrowed at the white-robed mystic. "What are you talking about?"

  


"Despite that Severus has taken the title of Charm Lord, I am still able to view everything that happens within the borders of this region. My boy, I had not seen you putting up too much of a fight when Lord Harry was leaving," smiled Kurenai. "In fact, you actually dove in after him to save him rather than just simply doing the obvious of teleporting in front of him and grabbing him. You had given the half-mystic every opportunity to escape... and allowed him to take it."

  


Draco was silent, unable to answer the mystic momentarily. "Harry is mine. I told him that and even if it means going against Charm Lord's wishes, I am going to keep what is mine out of Snape's grasp."

  


"You are starting to sound quite a bit like Seamus, Draco," drawled Cedric as he approached. He smiled, not without a touch of insanity, to Kurenai. "Hello Dumbledore. Have you finally decided to join us in the coup against Lord Severus? After all, I am quite fascinated with him. I will be even more fascinated when Lord Harry takes his place as My Lord."

  


Kurenai shook his head with a smile. "I am surprised and quite pleased that you still remember my old name, young Cedric. But I must decline your offer. I'm old and wish to just remain as the Eternal Flame of Facinaturu. I have already turned the reins of this land over to you young mystics."

  


The Prince of Darkness scowled in disgust. "You're not old. Mystics don't age and you just choose to appear like that."

  


The twinkle in Kurenai's eye grew brighter as he started to step back into the flames. "Perhaps, but I do look much wiser and experienced like this, is that not right, Fawkes?" The phoenix just gave a trill in reply as he nibbled at Kurenai's beard before the two disappeared into the cold fire, dark shadows and silver mists of the Sanctuary.

  


Draco drew his sword in a flash and had the point against Cedric's throat, not quite close enough to draw blood, but close enough that not even a hair could pass through. The greenish crystals and white flames intensified at the gesture, reacting against the violence the Black Wing was showing the Black Knight. "What do you want, Cedric? I have no patience to spare on you."

  


Crimson eyes bore into grey, as feral as those of an injured wildcat. Cedric moved himself away from the blade, drawing a set of sharp knives from within his robes. Without any time to spare he threw them directly at Draco, each cutting the air around them fluidly. Before the knives could embed themselves on the winged mystic, a shield of crystal and fire sprung up from the ground in front of Draco.

  


Cedric's smile did not change, but the look in his eyes became even darker as he turned his back on Draco and walked to the outside of the Sanctuary. "The Sanctuary of Kurenai forbids violence within it. I had forgotten."

  


Even more furious than before, Draco pulled the knives from the ground before him, stepping out to meet the eccentric, saffron-robed mystic. He threw the knives in return and found himself smirking as the blades cut into Cedric's face. What disgusted Draco was that Cedric didn't even give any indication that he was hurt. "You are a monster, Cedric."

  


"I know." A happy smile.

  


"Why in the hell are you doing this!?" shouted Draco, rushing Cedric and swinging his sword rapidly at an upwards diagonal slash.

  


Cedric blocked the blade with his MysticSword, a blade created from mystic energy, just as Draco's weapon was about to cut his side. He held on the sword and smiled at his opponent, eyes hard as he bared sharp fangs. "Lord Harry is the one who will change this region from the Hell that it is right now. I want that power..."

  


Draco snarled as he slid his sword away from the lock. He quickly gave a low cutting arc with his sword, scoring the Black Knight's left thigh and drawing dark blue blood. "You can get that power on your own, you're strong enough."

  


Quicker than the eye can follow, Cedric stepped in the blade of his adversary's weapon and thrust his own through Draco's right shoulder, cutting off several raven-black feathers and wringing a muffled cry of pain from the other. "You didn't let me finish, my friend. I want that power, but I want Lord Harry more than I want that power. I want to own him, his mind, his body, his heart, and his self. I have waited for so long for this moment and mystics, even Charm Lord and you, think that I have gone insane. Perhaps I have, but that's not going to stop me from getting what is mine."

  


"Go to hell, Cedric!!" Draco pulled his sword free from the ground, slashing viciously upwards and laying a deep cut across the other's chest. The Black Wing quickly disengaged after the attack and scored another long streak of blood at the right side of Cedric's face, barely missing his eye.

  


The Black Knight just smiled even though he is obviously hurt. He raised at gloved hand to the wound on his face, wiping away some of the blue drops of blood with his glove, staining the white material. "You forget, Draco. We're already in Hell." His beautiful face suddenly twisted in fury and he lunged forward, striking the ground before him and using the flat of the MysticSword to throw dirt into Draco's face. "I will not be satisfied until Lord Harry either returns or I am dead."

  


Raven-black wings fended off most of the dirt, but the sudden drop in his guard cost Draco, earning him a shallow cut on his left leg that he had just barely managed to dodge. Cedric had smiled as Draco felt a sharp pain lancing through his right hand. Looking down, he saw that a blade-tipped black rose had impaled through his hand. The Black Wing slightly gritted his teeth as he broke the rose in half, pulling off the stem and crushing the black petals in his bleeding hand, staining the ground black and blue with petals and blood. "I hate those flowers."

  


"To think that the Prince of Darkness is worried about such trivial things." Cedric smiled congenially. "The only one I answer to now is My Lord. Everyone else's comfort is secondary."

  


Switching his blade from his right hand to his left, the platinum-haired mystic launched himself, beating Cedric's sword slightly to the side and following the opening caused by the descend of his own sword along the length of that of the other mystic's. Bypassing his best friend's guard completely, Draco planted his heel down on the ground, drew back a glowing right fist and slammed it right in the center of Cedric's chest, sending him flying backwards.

  


"I have no intention of killing you, Cedric." The black-pinioned mystic raised the bleeding hand again and narrowed his eyes in concentration. A sparkling ball of energy formed in the center of his palm, spinning quickly and glowing white before separating into ten individual sparks of light. Raising his hand up, Draco sent the sparks straight to Cedric, each hitting an inch away from his body.

  


"That doesn't really seem to be the case from my standpoint, my friend," mocked Cedric, his light green hair quickly getting stained darker by the shallow cut on the edge of his scalp. "It definitely looks as if we are trying to kill each other. And over somebody, no less."

  


"Shut up, I'm not your friend. Just tell me what in the hell you want so that you could leave me alone." The grey-eyed man was reaching his patience's end.

  


Getting up and dusting himself off, the man in orange Victorian robes released his concentration and let the MysticSword disappear. "I thought that I had made myself explicitly clear, Draco. **I want Lord Harry**. **I want to serve the one who will reset the eternal clock of Facinaturu**."

  


"If you did not know, let me tell you now. I already marked Harry. **He is my prey and my prey alone**," hissed Draco as he sheathed his own sword.

  


Shrugging but keeping that slightly condescending smile on his face, Cedric took out a bladeless rose, similar to the one he had given Harry, from the confines of his robes. He softly brought it to his lips before tucking it into the breast-pocket of his robes. "We will see what will happen, won't we? For now, I ask you to keep an eye on My Lord."

  


Draco suddenly stilled and gazed at his companion with eyes narrowed in suspicion. Their wounds may be quickly healing, but that doesn't mean that the mental stability of Cedric is also being repaired. "What are you asking of me? To find him?"

  


"I am supposed to be the one who is suffering mentally here, Draco. Of course I want you to find My Lord," replied Charm Lord Severus' Knight, crimson eyes glinting like frozen fire in the dusky crystal-light. "I would do it myself, but circumstances prevent me from doing so."

  


"Circumstances?"

  


Cedric looked at him at the corner of his eye before starting to disappear. "You don't actually think that Charm Lord is going to be quiet for long, do you? He has already lost Zero Princess and losing his Heir will not sweeten is countenance any."

  


"He will know something, Cedric." Draco scowled, not liking the way things are turning out. "You are not in your best now that you appear to be losing your mind."

  


"Yes, but think about how things would be if I don't stay," he replied with a dark smirk. "Besides, I still owe Blaise one and I have been waiting for decades to string him up from one of the pillars."

  


The Black Wing's lips twisted into a smirk before Cedric could completely disappear. "As much as we fight, I think we understand each other better than anyone else. Whatever you do with Blaise is in your control, but let me just say now that it would be incredibly foolish of you to underestimate him. The General may be a malicious excuse for a mystic, but he is far from a pushover."

  


Cedric was gone, but as Draco took to the skies, he heard Cedric's voice again.** "_That is why you're my best friend. Lord of All Mystics knows why, but you are. Just find Lord Harry and protect him for now. I will hold Blaise off for as long as I can."_**

  


~*~*~*~

  


The Ravenclaw tore through puffy mounds of white clouds as the airship burst through the region. White birds dove to evade the descending craft and took refuge in the trees. The airship slowly landed in a patch of grass surrounded by flowers and sheltered by sturdy oak trees. Four figures walked out carefully, different colored eyes narrowing against the brilliant glare of the sun.

  


"So this is Surrey?" asked Ron, leaning against a tree. "I must say that I'm surprised at what humans are actually capable of when they put their minds to it." He held up a hand and rested it against the trunk.

  


Terry smiled sadly before shaking his head. He faced Harry and grasped him by the shoulders. "Lord Harry, I have to stay here to guard the Ravenclaw and prevent humans here from seeing it. You probably know better than I do how closed-minded people here are, and seeing something like the Ravenclaw is bound to bring about unwanted attention. However, I will be waiting for you here until everything is over."

  


Harry nodded solemnly, he had grown used to Terry and was actually glad to not have to split with the pilot so soon. Looking up, he noticed the fateful crossroads in the distance. Although the half-mystic had absolutely no intention of staying here, he still felt partly guilty for not telling the Dursleys where he has been. They may not care, but he still felt responsible. "We'll be back soon, Terry. I know where to go from here. I just have to tell the Dursleys that I am alive and leaving."

  


"Ron and I are coming with you, Harry." The Arch-Princess linked her arm with Harry's just as the Strategist threw his arm around the smaller boy's shoulders in such a way that suggested something deeper than friendship. "We are going to need to go invisible here to prevent any necessary uproar though. Will you do the honors, Ron?" asked Hermione, understand quite well how Ron liked to show off his ability of Rune Magic. 

  


A wide smirk broke over the Strategist's face as he pulled a grey-colored stone from his robes. "For the two of you, anything." Holding the stone in his right hand, Ron made one quick vertical and upward-branching strokes with his left hand in the air before him. A rune symbol similar to a pitchfork glowed electric blue before him. He quickly grabbed Harry and Hermione to him and closed his eyes, the symbol reflecting momentarily on their foreheads before the three of them completely disappeared.

  


The teal-haired pilot smiled as his three passengers disappeared. He gripped the pendant on his neck as he leaned back on Ravenclaw to wait. "The Hide Rune. A brilliant move if I do say so myself."

  


The three invisible mystics made their way through the city, lead by Harry. With Ron's warning, they were all careful not to accidentally bump into anything or anyone, lest the Hide Rune's spell dissipate and they are found. Ron was always between Harry and Hermione, clutching on tightly to his prince's hand and the Arch-Princess' waist to keep up the spell's appearance. They navigated through the roads, but the two mystics did not notice Harry's eyes getting darker and darker as they retraced the steps which led the half-mystic into their world.

  


The three stopped in an ordinary house with an ordinary roof and an ordinary fence in the ordinary street called "Privet Drive". But nothing was ordinary about the three mystics as they suddenly appeared in the driveway of the house.

  


"This place doesn't seem so bad, mate." The Strategist crossed his arms over his chest and shifted his weight on his right foot as he examined the abode with fascination. "I haven't seen something like this in a bloody long time!"

  


Harry's eyes remained focused on the door, as if dreading what he was about to do. "I wish I didn't have to see something like this ever again..."

  


Blue eyes looked up at him with confusion. She thought that he wanted to go home, but her prince looked as if he has just been given a cup of poison to drink. "Harry....?"

  


The half-mystic turned to her, smoothing out the disconcerted look on his face before smiling forcedly. He wanted to erase the worried looks present in Hermione and Ron's faces, but nothing could have prepared him to face the Dursleys again. The very thought of seeing and hearing their revilement of him made his heart plunge to the bottom of his stomach in remembrance. "I'm all right. Besides, there is nothing that could have prepared me for this."

  


Raising a white-gloved hand to the door, Harry gave three sharp knocks before stepping back, hardening his heart from what was about to take place.

  


"DON'T YOU BLOODY SALESPEOPLE EVER LEAVE?! WE DON'T WANT TO BUY A BLOODY THING FROM YOU! GET A REAL JO—!!" An enormous yet unfamiliar middle-aged man opened the door, his large frame having trouble fitting through the doorway as he brandished a poker at the three mystics. His dark brown eyes fell into his small, beady pale blue eyes, which widened when he saw who was at the door. His skin grew sickly pale as he took a step back, followed by another.

  


Harry blinked, surprised that he had not recognized the man at the door. _Did I go to the wrong house?_ He glanced around but did not recognize any of the other homes around him. The Arch-Princess and the Strategist merely exchanged glances worriedly, keeping their eyes firmly away from their prince.

  


"I'm sorry to bother you sir, I must have gotten the wrong house--" apologized Harry as he started to turn away, confused as to what had happened.

  


"Potter—you're Potter, aren't you!?" whimpered the whale of a man, poker falling to the ground as he fell on his behind, causing the door to shake from its hinges at the quake. He kept on crawling back, the cold sweat of fear trickling down the sides of his face. "ANSWER ME!! You freaks are of *that* sort, aren't you!?"

  


The emerald-eyed boy whipped around at the sound of his surname, confusion creeping into his face at how the stranger could have known. "How do you know of my name?"

  


A blood-curling scream tore through the air, causing Ron and Hermione to pull Harry into their embrace to keep him from harm. However, the man did not cease his cries as he stared at Harry in total fear. "You're a liar!! You're one of **those people** sent to torture me!"

  


Harry tried to break free of Ron and Hermione, but their hold on him was unbreakable, their eyes averted from his confused gaze. The half-mystic turned to face the catatonic human, confused to why he was acting in such a way. "Who ARE you?"

  


Before the man could slam the door in the three mystic's faces, one more cry erupted from his throat.

  


"**YOU CAN'T BE HIM, BECAUSE HARRY POTTER HAS BEEN DEAD FOR TWELVE YEARS!"**

  


Harry's eyes grew blank as the words echoed through his mind. He could not have understood them any less if they had been said in a different language. All the half-mystic prince felt was a cold sensation sweeping through his body as Asura pulsated a dull red-grey light, mirroring the shock and consternation that was slowly building up inside its master. 

  


Finally releasing their prince, Hermione and Ron looked away. They only looked up again went a sound, similar to dry laughter emanated from the throat of their leader. However, they flinched at the raspy quality of it, coming out in a sound that was obviously pained and forced.

  


"Why didn't you tell me?"

  


~*~

"_We're going to Rootville to get your clothes. The order was placed on them long ago."_

_"Are you in such a hurry to leave then? Even if you follow Zero Princess' footsteps, know that you will still remember every bit of your experience here. That is the curse of mysticism--one never forgets, for time means nothing and neither does death."_

_"A rose would not do justice to the one who could reset the clock of Facinaturu. As you can see, time means nothing here and nothing ever changes."_

"_So that means that you are missing... for at least a week, correct? ... Strange... I've been in that region for the last month or so, but nobody has reported anyone missing at all. My friend Colin and his brother Dennis would have told me."_

_~*~_

  


Auburn hair shielded Hermione's sapphire-blue eyes from sight. "Time means nothing in Facinaturu. There is a heavy veil which keep mystics from keeping track of the time; thus is another way Charm Lord asserts his dominance. The mystic Time Lord was imprisoned because of this very reason. We didn't want to shock you."

  


"Twelve years have passed... and I didn't even realize it." The half-mystic's eyes became glassy and unseeing as he faced the door, unblinking. "That must have been Dudley. No wonder he looked as if he saw a ghost—because he really did. He has grown older... and I am no longer human."

  


"Harry, you have to understand--" started Ron, reaching out for the half-mystic only to have his hand slapped away.

  


"**Leave me alone!!**" shouted Harry, his lightning scar and his hair crackling with mystic energy as his clothes swirled about him with an unseen wind. Asura just about burst into white flames at its wielder's anxiety.

  


"Harry!!" Twin screams were torn from Hermione and Ron's throats as they saw their companion break for the first time. 

  


Quickly pinning the half-mystic to a nearby tree, Ron ignored the lashing of his friend's uncontrolled release of power as he held Harry's wrists above his head in an attempt to subdue him. The ground before them cracked with the force of raw power Harry unleashed. Concrete and asphalt sprayed the side of the Dursley's house as well as decimated anything within a ten-foot radius of Harry that was not mystic. Hermione immediately brought up her hands to cast spells to hide their presence from mortals who may be watching, quickly repairing the damage that could be repaired.

  


A cold gaze from the half-mystic froze Ron in his tracks, static slashing at clothes. "Will you bloody calm down before I do something drastic, Harry!?"

  


The answer he got was to be lashed by the air barrier surrounding the half-mystic. 

  


"Didn't I tell you to leave me alo--!!"

  


Ron had just about given up before he took a small vial from his pocket, uncorked it, sipped the contents and crushed his mouth against that of his prince's. He forced open Harry's lips and allowed the potion to enter into the half-mystic's mouth, flowing down his throat. To the Strategist's misfortune, Harry had slightly bitten his lip to prevent the forceful invasion, but the flame-haired mystic endured, firmly keeping his friend still as the anger faded. 

  


It had taken much longer than the Strategist first thought until the half-mystic calmed down. Ron could just feel blood slowly trickling down the side of his face from the cut on his forehead as well as a shot of pain from where pressure was being applied to the wound on his lip. Before long, he felt the young man sag into his arms, black hair falling about the pale face like a curtain.

  


Green eyes looked up at Ron, finally clear of rage and confusion, before they closed again and Harry leaned to the kiss, needing reassurance from everything that has happened. Unlike Charm Lord, the Strategist's lips were warm and pliant rather than thin and passionless. The only drawback was the cold trickle of strangely-sweet blood from the wound.

  


Drawing back upon tasting Ron's blood, Harry lifted a gloved finger and gently touched the wound, catching a few drops of brilliant blue. Pain and undeniable guilt filled his eyes at the realization that he was the one who had caused the injury. "Does it hurt?"

  


The green-robed Strategist gazed down at his leader, emotions swirling deep in his cerulean eyes. "No..." His answer came out at barely a whisper, unable to tear his eyes from the deep green before him, wanting nothing more than to just surrender.

  


Harry recognized the flash of light and shadow within Ron's eyes which he had come to learn as Fascination. Reaching up, he brought Ron's face towards his and licked at the blood trickling down his chin. Then the half-mystic ran his tongue over the wound itself before bringing the Strategist into another, deeper kiss. The contact from the different levels of mystic energy caused a transfer, healing the torn skin from Ron's skin until nothing betrayed that there was ever anything marring his handsome face. The Strategist has lost, but he was more than happy to surrender.

  


Breaking the kiss after several moments, Harry bowed his head and gripped Ron's viridian robes tightly. He rested his head upon his friend's as two arms wrapped around him, holding him close. "What did you just give me?"

  


Closing his eyes, Ron rested his lips on his friend's dark locks, still feeling the powerful sensation in the the embrace that was present in the kiss. "The same potion that Draco had given you when you first woke up. It restores strength, enforces immortality, and balances the levels of energy in your body. It's a poison to humans, but as Draco said, our blood has mephitic qualities in it already. It will just take a while to take affect."

  


"What is it called?"

  


"_Amaranth_, named after the legendary undying wildflower."

  


Harry bowed his head, the word echoing through his mind before succumbing to his shame. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have done that."

  


Hermione, finished with the spell-casting, threw her arms around Harry's neck, murmuring reassurances as her prince let go of Ron's robes to embrace her. "None of this was your fault, Harry. We should have told you before... and you're hurt."

  


"It would have changed nothing." The half-mystic gently tilted up her face with a gloved hand and kissed the Arch-Princess with the same desperation as he had with Ron. Hermione's eyes clouded with tears and Fascination as she opened her mouth in surrender to the other, helplessly feeling Harry's pain and despair as she willingly fell under his spell. Ron rested his cheek upon Harry's hair, holding his two grieving companions to him, each one joined through pain and blood.

  


Finally, Harry released Hermione, but collapsed to the floor from the strain of sharing his energy. "Will you two stay with me forever? I don't want to be alone anymore."

  


Arch-Princess and Strategist both caught the mystic before he fell, each laughing good-naturedly as they smiled. The answer had been obvious since they first laid eyes on an oblivious, newly transformed half-mystic. "Forever... if you wish."

  


A pleased and comforted smile easily brightened the Heir's pale face, some of the shadows in his eyes disappeared as he managed to stand up again. "There is nothing here for me anymore. Let's go back to Terry."

  


Before they could act, darkness gathered around the three of them, blocking out all light until all that was visible were each other and an impenetrable darkness.

  


_**_Prince of All Mystics, Charm Lord has had enough of your antics and says that it is time for you to return to Chateau Aiguille._**_

  


Arch-Princess and Strategist both rushed to the Heir's side, hands upraised and ready to form a spell at a moment's notice. They did not drop their guards as a crimson ball of light appeared in front of them. White rays extended out like knives, shattering the ball like a crystal and releasing a red armored figure with an iron sword and white feathered wings. The crimson eyes, so much like a certain General's gave away the fact that this being in front of the three mystics was definitely not an angel.

  


Harry suddenly stepped in front of his companions, Asura raised up in front of him like a flaming beacon. His eyes were like chips of jade as he glared defiantly at the FireSage, the first of Blaise's Shadows. "Don't you dare take Ron and Hermione back to that place!"

  


_**_That was not a part of my orders._**_

  


"Let the Lord punish me then, it was my fault!" shouted Ron, placing a hand over Hermione's mouth to keep her from speaking.

  


**__That decision will be up to the Lord of All Mystics.__** The iron sword descended upon the three, causing them to jump away or bear the brunt of it. The three companions had all dodged the blade in time as it landed upon the darkness which constitutes for a ground in the region of darkness that the FireSage had entrapped them in.

  


Hermione was thrown to Ron by the force of the attack, and the Strategist's quick reflexes allowed him to grab the girl, twisting around in time for him to land on his back, sparing the Arch-Princess from the impact. "Ron!"

  


On the other hand, the half-mystic landed several feet away from the two. He deliberately kept a good distance between himself and the other two, clearly noting that the FireSage's target was him. There was no need to bring the other two if they can be spared. Raising up Asura in an on guard position, he cursed burning off his energy uselessly before. The _Amaranth _potion was starting to take effect, but not quickly enough. Having no choice, he waited for the FireSage to make the first strike as he calculated what could possibly be done to stop the descent of the iron blade. At the edges of his vision, Harry saw something translucent rising up in front of him, a cold surge of energy began to gather.

  


The FireSage took to the air and held out its sword in front. Reaching the apex of its ascent, the Sage glided down, gaining speed as its weapon started burning. Harry's eyes grew wide as the crimson-armored Mystic Sage approached him. There was no way he would be able to block something going that fast.

  


The moment of impact was immediate and violent, but Harry felt nothing but a tense air which permeated the air. The FireSage's burning sword now lay before him after tearing through a translucent copy of himself which shielded him from sight. "MirrorShade... how?" The Heir momentarily glanced at Hermione, who was lowering her hands from the Mystic Magic spell of MirrorShade. She smiled slightly before raising both hands above her head in the form of a cross, her eyes fastened coldly on the stunned FireSage.

  


_**a blue moon falls to pieces**_

_**the brilliant world vanishes into darkness**_

_**called upon by the mark of the rose**_

_**the silent sky disappears**_

_**the Nightmare begins**_

  
  


**__The three of you would dare to disobey the Lord of All Mystics!?_ _**yelled the Sage as it was bound by Hermione's spell.

  


_**PhantasmShot**_

  


The ground before the Sage blossomed into a formation of a white rose. The Sage stared at the rose, transfixed, as the flower suddenly became blue, covered with blood. Looking down upon its chest, the Mystic Sage saw someone's hand impaling its chest from behind. Blue-black blood spilled across white hands and long, manicured nails. Only one person had nails and hands and a killing method like that...

  


Softly, Harry gasped when the form of Charm Lord appeared behind the FireSage and impaled the shadow's chest with his right hand . His hands shook as he saw the face of his captor for the first time in a long while, but he still brought Asura's tip down to his feet and cut the air before him in a rapid upward vertical motion. The motion of the blade cut the section of air and ignited it, sending a fiery wheel to slice at the figures of Charm Lord and the FireSage.

  


_**WheelSlash**_

  


Not to be outdone by his companions, Ron raised his right hand, sparkling with pure mystic energy. His eyes narrowed as he approached the FireSage and placed his hand upon the opening of the wound. At the touch, the FireSage stopped moving, fixated by the mist which started to form around it. By the time the mist had dissipated, the FireSage had turned to stone before fading into the shadows, never to be seen again.

  


"I hoped that the two of you wouldn't get into these fights," whispered Harry.

  


Hermione quickly ran to Harry's side, supporting the ashen prince as the figure of Charm Lord smirked at them and evanesced into thin air. "Harry!! Harry, what's wrong?"

  


Unseeing eyes were turned towards her as the Mystic Prince gripped her hand tightly in his. "Why was he here?"

  


"It was just a spell, Harry. The spell of PhantasmShot is capable of invoking several different aspects. The one who you had just seen was called 'Nightmare,' which focuses on the target's worst fears and turns it against them," explained Hermione as Ron approached them, noticing Harry relax considerably at her reassurance. However, with the FireSage's demise, the darkness surrounding them was quickly melting into the familiar image of Privet Drive.

  


"If there is nothing left for us to do here..." whispered Ron as he grabbed the two mystics and cast Hide Rune upon the three of them once again. "Harry..."

  


Solemn green eyes were turned towards the house that he had spent so much of his life in. He hadn't even realized that twelve years have passed since he had last set foot in the front door. Now, all that are left are memories.

  


Harry smiled and turned towards his friends again, his expression happier than they have ever seen him. Although all three of them were mentally and physically exhausted, they still shared a secretive smile.

  


"You know that Charm Lord is going to be more relentless than ever," muttered the Arch-Princess as they walked away from Privet Drive. "The fact that we're disobeying him isn't helping at all."

  


"You both promised me to be with me forever." Green eyes reminded them, but there was a mischievous sparkle in their depths that was not present there before.

  


"Then do you have any ideas?" asked Hermione, holding on to both of her boys, bruised, battered, and drained, but happier than she has ever been.

  


Ron rubbed a spot of dirt from her cheek with his white glove, grinning like a man possessed. "How about we just keep going and not look back from here?"

  


They did not look back.

  


~*~*~*~

  


"What in the bloody hell happened to the lot of you!?" shouted Terry when he caught sight of three rumpled mystics, all drained and covered with blood. Worry was bright in his eyes as he helped the three of them enter Ravenclaw, gingerly taking blankets from a compartment in the airship and covering each person. He didn't expect to get answers so quickly, so he started the engine and took to the skies.

  


When the sky faded from the bright blue of the region of Shrike to the dark blue of the transitional ocean between regions, Terry decided to turn on auto-pilot and moved to the back. He was not surprised to find that two of his three passengers were deeply asleep. The third looked up at him with weary cerulean eyes, a blood-stained gloved hand pushing back errant strands of flame-colored hair from his face. "They're exhausted. I can't really blame them. I'm about to bloody fall asleep myself."

  


Amber eyes glanced at the two figures beside the Strategist. The Heir was propped against Ron, his back to the wall, head upon Ron's right shoulder, and right arm securely around the Arch-Princess' waist. Hermione rested her rose-crowned head upon the bend of Harry's neck, tawny hair and white roses mingling with emerald-tinted midnight black. "You know, if you're tired, you can sleep now. I don't need to know anything as of yet."

  


Ron glanced up at their pilot. "I'm fine. This is more important than sleeping for the time being. Besides, I've been meaning to ask you a question."

  


Terry blinked. "And?"

  


"Why are you doing this for us? What could you be possibly be thinking in voluntarily endangering yourself by helping the three current most wanted fugitives in the opposite order as you? What were you really doing in Facinaturu?"

  


"Technically that's three questions, but since I'm a nice guy, I'll humor you." A grin answered Ron as Terry sat across from the three of them. He took off the white bandanna covering his teal-colored hair, leaning back against the opposite wall. "I'm not really sure why I'm doing this. I guess it's just because doing nothing but flying airships and frying the stray monster every now and then gets tedious and boring. When I saw Lord Harry over there looking so lost and desperate, I just couldn't say no. Besides, how many mystics do you see each day wanting to leave but by means of a human? I was very intrigued, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt. Anyway, he's too pretty to deny, mystic or no mystic."

  


The Strategist shifted his weighed, moving Harry higher on his shoulder as slowly as he could to not wake the half-mystic's rest. He knew very well how difficult it is to go against the Heir.

  


"It doesn't really bother me that the three of you are on the run from the entire Royal Mystic Court. I've sheltered worse in the Ravenclaw and they have all survived," grinned the young pilot, flashing pearly white teeth. "The three of you don't look like the criminal types, so I had to deduce that the ones chasing you are the ones who are evil. The magicians of the Magic Kingdom claim justice, or at the very least, neutrality. Unless you are born as a twin, you are free from the moment you can walk."

  


"You've only answered two of my questions."

  


The pilot smiles and shook his head. "I can't tell you that yet. You'll find out in time. Now." Bright amber eyes fixated themselves seriously upon the mystic's. "In all fairness, I have a few questions for you."

  


Sighing, Ron leaned his head against Harry's, meeting the pilot gaze for gaze. "Go ahead. I will answer what I can."

  


"As mystics, it's apparent by the way that the three of you are dressed and the way that you speak that you are part of the royalty. However, I know that there is something quite different about Harry. What has happened to have caused your departure to create such an uproar in Facinaturu?" The grimace in Ron's face indicated to Terry that this was not going to be a happy story. "We have time."

  


"The details are not something I would like to reiterate too much. Mostly because I only know about Harry second-hand and from when I first met him. I heard that he used to be a human but twelve years ago, was run over one night by Charm Lord Severus as he was searching for Zero Princess."

  


Terry now understood the grimace in Ron's face, his own turning pale with shock and disbelief. "Twelve years... it explains why I hadn't heard anything about any missing people resembling him for the past week. He was killed, but how did he survive? The bloodloss alone should have killed him and I heard that most mystics were created in the Sanctuary of Kurenai."

  


"That's just it. By some twist of fate, Charm Lord brought him back to life by giving him a blood transfusion—with his own blood. Harry slept through the four years as his blood balanced out and forced his body to accept the union. Blue mystic blood and red human blood has made the Heir's blood purple. Half-mystic blood. No one had ever thought that such a being with two completely opposite forces in one body could ever be created, but he is living, breathing proof."

  


Silence greeted the end of the Strategist's sentence before Terry looked out the window, watching the Ravenclaw tear through the ocean of stars. "A half-mystic as the Heir to Facinaturu. That explains a lot. Charm Lord's blood prevents him from falling under Fascination like all the other mystics and humans, and his mortal side detests being chained, but also prevents his development of other mystic abilities. If he left early enough after his awakening, then he shouldn't be able to teleport yet. That would explain why he needs my help. The whole entourage when I found you is also explained by the fact that he's the Heir. Charm Lord doesn't seem to be the type to be able to relinquish his possessions easily."

  


A wicked smiled grew on Ron's face. "If I didn't believe that you were from the Magic Kingdom before, I believe it now. All of you are bloody deductive thinkers, no matter if you're flying an airship now."

  


"You mean to tell me that the _Strategist_ of Facinaturu is accusing me of being a deductive thinker? Such hypocrisy!!" The human pilot laughed heartily. "In any case," Terry's face grew serious, but his eyes softened as they landed on the exhausted pair still asleep. "You three came back looking as if you barely survived through a Windblast attack. What happened back there?"

  


Ron averted his eyes. "Harry found out that he has been gone for twelve years. He barely recognized the person who opened the door to his former house, but the man turned white as a sheet as if he had seen a ghost... which, in a way, he did. Harry then proceeded to have a mental breakdown, smashing everything in sight until Hermione and I managed to calm him down."

  


Terry raised an eyebrow when Ron turned slightly blue but made no comment on it. "So is that why you're all battered?"

  


"No, because of the unleashing of Harry's untapped power sources, little as it may be, a shadow of Charm Lord's General managed to find us. Needless to say, what happened after was not something I'd like to go into detail with." He flinched, remembering how Hermione's spell had thrust its hand straight through the FireSage's chest. It looked so much like Charm Lord Severus... The Strategist's face barely changed, but he just realized that Blaise's greatest fear is Charm Lord because of the PhantasmShot's Nightmare capabilities. The FireSage is an aspect of the General and it had the same fears and dreams, but this betrays that Blaise is no longer under full Fascination by Charm Lord. An ambitious Blaise is a dangerous Blaise.

  


Sighing in relief, the teal-haired pilot dusted off his pants and crouched in front of Harry, moving jade-tinged black hair away from the scar on his forehead. His smile turned sad. "You all have such a difficult path to walk. You don't have to walk it alone. I'm going to be with you from now on. I can no longer fight, but I can always assist you with wherever you wish to go."

  


"From the three of us, thank you," whispered Ron as he leaned further back, holding Harry closer to him. The last thing he saw before falling asleep was Terry smiling down congenially as he walked back to the pilot's seat.

  


"Rest, Strategist. You may not normally need sleep, but you're not normally tossed around or physically drained either. I'll head for Kyo. Your highnesses will be able to rest there."

  


_Thank you..._

  


~*~*~*~

  


_**Mosperiburg – The Palace of Ring Lord**_

  


The crimson flames of Hell burned behind glass windows and the boots upon black marble floors made no sound. Silence spoke more than noise possibly could as a single figure walked up a crystal flight of stairs, fair features contrasting sharply with the surrounding darkness. Diamond chandeliers sparkled with the reflection of the flames, causing scarlet rays of light to reach every corner of the room, but never merging with the shadows. The light was almost tangible, but the sole figure continued up the flight, never ceasing his ascent.

  


On the top of the stairs was an ebony door, worked with silver and rubies, imposing and austere. As the man approached the door, he did not need to touch anything, as it swung open slowly by itself, the creaking sound of hinges echoing through the hall behind him like the cries of the dead. But what mattered lay before him in the form of the mystic sitting upon the black iron throne. He sat in an aloof fashion, black robes and long wavy hair pooling about his feet, but hard ruby eyes glittered in the dim light. An adamantine coronet was set upon his forehead, decorated with a single diamond in its center, and nine rings flashed in his hands. He looked upon the newcomer with little interest and more of irritation.

  


"What brings the Black Wing here? Snape has not called upon me for centuries, are you here as the Messenger?" The figure scowled, filling a wineglass halfway with a red liquid before raising it up to his lips.

  


Draco rested his back against one of the marble pillars in the room, careful not to damage his wings. He fastened platinum eyes upon the man before him, glaring with helpless distrust. "I'm not here as Messenger. Charm Lord probably doesn't even know that I'm here."

  


"That is the problem with him, isn't it?" asked the black-haired figure, more to himself than to Draco. "He always believes he knows everything and that the whole world is meant to revolve around him. I would not have wanted to be called 'The Lord of All Mystics' if the title of 'Charm Lord' goes with the deal."

  


The Black Wing whirled around, blue robes swaying with his movement. "So is that why you remain the Ring Lord, Lord Sirius?"

  


Sirius laughed dryly, getting up from his throne to be on the same ground as the newcomer. "I'm nothing like Snape. I loathe the way he treats mystics as if they are pawns. The only reason I haven't challenged him is the loss of sanity and obligations which come with being Charm Lord. And that harem... In any case, why are you here?"

  


A dark smirk twisted in Draco's face at Ring Lord's confession. "In the way things are going now, you don't have to worry about the throne of Facinaturu. The Mystic Heir who has been chosen has finally woken up."

  


Slowly turning around, Sirius fixed a glare at the younger mystic. Taking the wineglass in his hand, he threw the contents in the fireplace behind Draco, not even causing the mystic to flinch as the flames roared with the added fuel. "I didn't think that that fool would go this far. He has already ruined the lives of so many mystics: Zero Princess, Time Lord, and Silence. He has already taken so many human lives for no reason other than his perverse pleasure." A sarcastic grin appeared in Sirius' face. "At a time, I would have admired his technique, but it just now sickens me. Now he has brought another pawn into the game. So has the mystic been brainwashed yet?"

  


"Slight error, Ring Lord. It's 'half-mystic,' not mystic." The dark smirk grew darker and more sinister, almost mocking.

  


Ring Lord paused in shock, not realizing how much he has really missed since he set himself apart from mystic society. "A half-mystic? What in Kurenai was that bastard thinking!?"

  


"It doesn't stop there, the half-mystic escaped the palace alive and took the seventy-ninth Arch-Princess and Strategist with him. Now, he has beaten Blaise's FireSage and even Charm Lord is having trouble finding him."

  


Sirius' laughter echoed throughout the room with its intensity. To anyone who did not know him, it would have clearly been the laugh of a madman. "So the fool has let another escape through his grasp. It's only fitting. What is the name of the half-mystic?"

  


Draco glanced at the mystic through his white-blonde fringe of hair, shadowing the emotion on his face. "Hair darker than midnight with eyes deeper and darker than emeralds or poison. He was remade at about seventeen years old and his name is Harry."

  


The laughter ceased immediately as Ring Lord turned to face the Prince of Darkness, disbelief and wonderment radiating off his figure. "This boy... wouldn't happen to have a scar on his forehead, would he?"

  


"What does it mean to you if he does?" asked Draco, crossing his arms over his chest, but keeping one hand rested on the pommel of his sword.

  


"Because if he does, then that means that Charm Lord will never be able to tame him. He is already marked by another power and it will be dangerous to interfere. I fear for the half-mystic's life if that is the case."

  


The Black Wing's lips flattened into a straight line, anger coursing through him at the thought that someone else could have possibly claimed his prey already. He certainly can't have that, but he would need Sirius' help to find the Prince of All Mystics. "He has a scar. And I need your help in finding him, especially now that you say that he is in danger."

  


Bowing his head in agreement, Sirius took five rings from his hand and handed them one by one to the Black Wing. "Take these rings. They are the Guardian, the Thief, the Healer, the Fighter, and the Lord. Each one has its own uses, and you can use each of them once a day except for the Lord. The Guardian protects, the Thief hides, the Healer cures, the Fighter strengthens, but the Lord is something you must figure out on your own. Do everything in your power to save Harry because he is extremely precious to me."

  


Glaring at the Mystic Lord, Draco placed the rings in his pocket save for the Lord and the Thief. "Where is he now?"

  


"I cannot leave this region or else it will collapse, or Charm Lord or Hell's Lord would try to invade. Take this instead." Sirius handed a flame-colored diamond to the Black Wing. "It will point out to you where Harry's direction is. However, I must warn you that it will not penetrate through the regions of magic. You can also use it as much as you want, but it will use up your energy as a source of power."

  


"Understood. But I have one more question."

  


Sirius returned to sit back upon his throne, looking down at the Black Wing. "What is it?"

  


Draco averted his eyes, looking down at what Sirius had presented him. "Why is this half-mystic so important to you?"

  


A gently pleased smile swept across Sirius' features, stunning Draco with surprise. Mirth and mischief swirled in Ring Lord's eyes that were never in Charm Lord's fiercely possessive gaze. The comparison was almost enough to floor him. Almost.

  


"_It's because Harry is my beloved godson."_

  


  


~*~*~*~

to be continued...

~*~*~*~ 

  


  


Disclaimers:

  


Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling and SaGa Frontier belongs to SquareSoft. I hold no claim on anything.

  


  


Notes:

  


~Thank you so much to all my reviewers, especially to Catzi/Rachel who finally got me off my slump. It gave me the strength to drag myself in for a few hours in front of the computer to finish another monstrous chapter. I really had fun, especially because this is the only break I have between essays since I started college.

  


~I had to have someone play Kurenai, but I loved the name too much to change it into the character's name. Thus, we get Dumbledore as Kurenai, the Eternal Flame.

  


~Cedric is getting more and more insane every chapter, ne? Let me just say not to give up on him. Everything has a reason in this story. Moreover, the pilot didn't really have too much of a part in the actual game. I was really planning on just using Terry/him as a way out of Facinaturu, but then I fell in love with the dynamics and decided to keep him. It was surprising what I came up with when I have practically no outline for this story!!

  


~**Prey. *laughs* I have been watching and reading way too much X/1999 and Tokyo Babylon these days. Just a hint on whoever is actually reading these notes. Everyone in this story is the prey of somebody else, except for one person, who is the true predator. Can anyone guess on who is this person? It will become clear by the end of the story, a long ways away, but you guys can try to guess. **It's just something to think about. And no, playing SaGa Frontier or reading my other SaGa-related fanfiction will not help you!!!

  


~I now consider Shrike as a region apart from magic in this fanfic. It isn't really in the game, but it's the most related to a "normal" world. Also, yes, the fat man with the poker who couldn't fit through the door was Dudley. Don't ask me what happened to Petunia and Vernon.

  


~Harry has been asleep for twelve years. Because there is no semblance of the passage of time in Facinaturu, a day can seem like eternity and eternity can seem like a day. This is why Dudley is already grown when Harry returns to Privet Drive. Read back in earlier chapters if you don't believe me.

  


~*groans* That is the first actual semi-slashy scene I have ever wrote. I felt strange writing it rather than just reading it in fanfiction. I couldn't stop laughing the entire time... especially because I followed it up with a het scene. It was irresistible for some reason.

  


~I am really in a Tokyo Babylon mood, aren't I? Oh, for those who are confused, that isn't the real Severus, but a tangible manifestation brought about by Hermione's PhantasmShot spell. I just loved the hand-go-through-chest thing. Makes me wonder if I should consider raising the rating now... is it time? This is never going to be a lemon though... I can't write them.

  


~What can I say? A Ravenclaw will always be a Ravenclaw... and I wanted Ron to equate as Strategist equals deductive thinker for once in fanfiction.

  


~I love Sirius... can I say more? I felt damn awful that what happened in actuality happened, so I gave him something more refined in my story. You guys will learn more about Ring Lord and those rings later. Yes, he is a mystic, one of the Four Mystic Lords: Charm Lord, Hell's Lord, Time Lord, and Ring Lord. Time Lord is another we will meet later... and that Silence guy also...


	11. Unbalanced Harmony Of Endless Insanity

Dark Fascination

by Asurahime

~*~*~*~

Chapter Eleven

~*~*~*~

Time. What is it about this word which appears so final and complete? Not much can be done to control such an entity when a region of darkness forgets all sense of memory. Nothing can mitigate the rage that has blossomed and razes the land. Nothing except for a blue the color of sun-kissed azure. Quicksilver glints in my peripheral vision, a fierce, obstinate presence. Crimson rakes through me like sharp nails, branding trails of fire which continue to smolder and burn with every step and with every glance.

Life. Another word which holds little command in a banished citadel that is a mirror of the lowest level of Hell. Life and death shift in an unending cycle which cannot possibly be understood. A demon's inexorable claws can end one's life just as easily as its tainted kiss can bring about a soul's revival. Either way, nothing is as it was before and there is no more reason to pretend that everything is as it should be.

I have learned how love is easily mistaken for lust and passion. Perhaps all of these are not mutually exclusive after all. However, a great sense of desire which overpowers the mind, the senses, and all reason, is nothing short of bordering on obsession. I am obsessed with finding my identity, finding the truth of what all of this means. So far, I have not received answers, but more riddles and falsehoods which further taints my identity everywhere I turn. What once was shall never be again and what the future holds is irrelevant. Without the passage of time, there is no way of discerning past, present, and future. All lie between an instant and eternity, for nothing exists to separate the two.

But still, the suffering continues the longer I keep away from the mysteries which serve to bind me. I would rather be a doll broken than a consort who conforms to the whims of another. How long will the oppressing Lord, my unwanted Sire, lust in the thought of possession of me? Time may stay stasis, but there are many fates that are far worse than death.

It is harder to live.

~*~*~*~

Crimson eyes stared into a white flame as the image of a sleeping black-haired young man appeared in its heart. Pale lips tightened as the figure raised a white, manicured hand towards the image, eyes burning with an almost obsessive lust. A hiss of pain was torn from his kips as the fire seared his skin, marring the smooth surface with ugly burn marks.

"You escaped me once. I will not give you a second chance to do so again." He raised the injured hand to his lips, watching the sapphire liquid course down. Licking at the blood, he kept his eyes fixated on the flame before him. He could not stifle a groan as the half-mystic among the flames opened his evergreen eyes, causing the figure to bite his finger to draw even more blood. Blue tainted his thin, cold lips as the cuts and burns healed quickly.

Laughter echoed through the darkened room, as harsh as sand paper rasping through metal. "Charm Lord has changed you, the Black Wing had instructed you, the Strategist and the Arch-Princess follow you, there are those who protect you, but who will love you? How much pain are you willing to let these people suffer in vain until you finally realize that only I can give you love?"

White fire turned dark, but his eyes continued to burn with an unholy light in the shadows. "I have all the time in the world, love. How much are you willing to sacrifice to escape me? But before that, I will enjoy watching you break to my will. Mystics are not capable of true tears, but I am satisfied with watching you bleed."

The fire completely burned out, but the image still lingered. "My precious doll, you will dance, sing, cry, break, and die for me and for me alone. I will destroy anyone who would dare to challenge me."

~*~*~*~

Soft, golden-white tinged sunlight shone through the windows of the Ravenclaw, soothing the tired mystics as they arrived in the region of Kyo. The land of eternal autumn greeted them with hues of orange leaves and calm waters. Oriental homes occupied the region, giving a peaceful, delicate feel to the land. 

''Welcome to Kyo. I have to say, it's not a very exciting town like Manhattan, Koorong, Shrike, or the Magic Kingdom, but it's still one of my favorite regions. It's a lot like Owmi or the quieter parts of Devin, so it must be the food that makes me keep coming back," said Terry with a smile, his amber eyes glowing in the bright light.

Ron grinned tiredly. "Owmi was plenty exciting for us, thanks."

One could just see the question marks emanating from the Ravenclaw's pilot as Hermione and Harry laughed at the Strategist's comment. "Owmi? Exciting? I suppose it does have its moments."

''It was certainly one of those moments," replied Hermione.

Harry's laughter subsided as his eyes narrowed ruefully. _What am I going to do now? Mystics hate me because I'm half-human and humans fear me because I'm half-mystic. Is there no medium in this? What on earth am I?_

A sharp clap brought the half-mystic out of his reverie. Terry gave a short laugh after slapping his knee, winking at Harry with mischief twinkling in his eyes. "We're about to land on Kyo, highness. There's a place here which used to belong to my master that is empty now. It's not that extravagant, so it's probably not going to be what you are used to. But it is a comfortable and quiet place if you are looking for somewhere to rest."

Green eyes stared back into amber. They didn't have the same bubbling quality, but they were far from the dead jade eyes they had been. "Quiet and rest sound like a very good idea right about now."

''I second that," added Ron as he watched the airship land on the region. "Where is this place anyway?"

''When you go out of the port, follow the path and make a left on the first intersection. You will soon see a large garden across a bridge that is surrounded by a still stream. The house nearest to that garden is my master's Kyoinese home. If you get lost, just listen to the wind chimes and follow the sound. It will take you there."

The two young men descended from the airship, but Hermione looked back at Terry with a confused glance. If anyone needed the rest, it was the magician, for taking them everywhere. "Aren't you going to come with us? You've been so kind as to bring us--"

Quickly, Terry raised a hand to stop her speech. "Princess, the Ravenclaw is my home and has been for the last five years since I left the Magic Kingdom. I would not feel right leaving her all alone and I need to stock up on materials."

''Aren't you ever lonely?" asked the Arch-Princess, her empathy reaching out to the teal-haired young man.

Thin lips parted to show pearl-white teeth. ''With such good people relying on me, how could I ever be alone? I do ask one thing."

''Which is?" Hermione blinked at the suddenness of the question but was slightly relieved to find their pilot and friend not as the inhuman creature who lives by adrenaline and magic alone.

Terry's grin simply grew wider. "Could you bring me some of those tea cakes and mochi that they sell here? My sweet tooth is getting the better of me."

A light chuckle was her answer as Hermione walked down to join her other two companions. "Certainly." _Tea cakes? Mochi?_

Harry looked up at the descending Hermione with a questioning look on his face. "Isn't Terry also coming with us?"

Shaking her head, the mystic started following the two others down a leaf-covered path. "He wishes to stay in the Ravenclaw, but he asked us to bring him back some tea cakes and something called a 'mochi.' Apparently, these are dessert specialties that are being sold here."

''How did you find that out? Did he say that?" inquired the Strategist. 

''He said that he had to satisfy his sweet tooth or something of the sort," laughed Hermione. "He kind of reminds me of you."

''Really? How so?"

''Well, you're both simple and sweet."

A wide smile broke through Ron's face. "Oho, am I now? Well, when you put it that way..."

The half-mystic sighed with slight exasperation at his companions' obvious-yet-unobtrusive flirting. He continued down the path by himself, knowing the others would follow him once they came to their senses. The solitude allowed Harry to fully take in his surroundings as the cool, crisp, and slightly spicy winds of autumn attacked his senses. His boots strangely made no noise even as they trampled on dried leaves the warm colors of reds, yellows, and oranges which seemed to extend to the red-gold-tinted skies of Kyo.

Despite the warm colors which pleased the eye, Harry felt the hint of death around him. The land of eternal fall, no matter how lovely, is closer to death than it is living. The leaves which constantly rained down and the still waters represented a stasis which does not exist with life.

After all, everything is most beautiful before death. Everything has the most meaning when the meaning is about to be lost. An entire region is this way just as much as it is to a life.

~*~*~*~

Looking down on the silent water, Harry was reminded of another by the flecks of silver and golden light upon the expanse of midnight blue. For a long time, the green-eyed young man had put off rationalizing the subject of the proclaimed Prince of Darkness. Even now, he was confused as to why Draco had acted as he did. Actions said one thing, but the platinum-haired mystic's eyes were saying something totally different.

Harry noticed that Hermione and Ron were no where to be found as of yet, apparently still attempting to clash wits that would end up in Hermione's favor. As always. If only Draco was as easily predicted. He sat down beneath a tree next to the water to wait for the other two, but his eyes were drawn to the water once more. 

''There's one thing I do know, I can't trust him just yet... if at all."

''Can't trust who, kitten?"

Harry quickly looked up, gloved hand already drawn Asura half-way out of its sheathe before he found himself pinned hard against the tree. Try as he might, his attacker's reflexes were better and more finely honed than his, preventing any attack or possibility of escape as Asura was forced into the sheathe once again. "Who in the hell--"

Amber eyes curtained by crimson-streaked dark blonde hair smirked down at his prey, smile becoming more and more predatory each second. "I am not about to let you off that easily, Prince Kitten."

Rage practically radiated from Harry as he tried to brutally shove the other away from him. "Get off me, you son of a--"

Seamus' eyes narrowed with mischief and something slightly darker. "Now, now, Lord Harry. Listen to me and don't be rash—"

''I said let go of me, you bloody basta--"

The look on Seamus' face faded from mischief to a darker intensity. ''I tried warning you, but a tongue as sharp as yours should be silent." He shoved a surprised Harry even harder against the tree, not relenting in his pursuit as he pressed his lips upon the other's. 

Almost automatically, Harry's lips slightly parted with shock, just barely allowing the split-second window for the mystic to slide an agile tongue into his mouth. Although the half-mystic did not respond, the other's attention made up for his state of petrification as Seamus' tongue stroked his roughly, not a kiss containing romance, but a plunder of the senses. Ravenous teeth and the skilled tongue pushed apart pink lips further as the attack relentlessly continued, taking everything that was not freely given.

Seamus continued, eyes darkened with desire and Fascination as he locked his heated gaze with the frozen jade eyes of the Heir. Long-nailed fingers were quickly inching into the half-mystic's robes, quickly undoing silver claps as the other hand held his victim's chin, softly stroking the pale skin. He knew he should stop, but as far gone as he was, he no longer could. The scent of roses were pushing Seamus further than he knew was appropriate as he removed the hand from Harry's chin to remove the crimson ribbon binding the other's hair.

Harry stayed frozen, locked in an inward battle of terror and rage. He could feel the other's tongue caressing his lips and wreaking havoc to the inside of his mouth. He could also feel the last clasps of his outer robe unfasten as long-nailed fingers raked down his chest through his thin inner robes. There was no reply from him, but when the frenzied mystic had pulled firmly at the hair at the nape of his neck to expose his throat, Harry finally had an inkling of what is going on.

There were several strong scents assaulting his senses, but there was one that stood out that most that he had not noticed before. Charm Lord Severus reminded Harry of roses, perfume, and the current of magic and power he wore like a cloak. However, there was also a bitter taste of something akin to how suspicion and hate would taste. Ron was of warmth, life, and fierce protectiveness. Hermione was akin to light, white roses, and a taste as sweet as honey. Ice, darkness, and black lilies were reminiscent of Draco with a touch of poisonous mercury. Seamus gave off the scents of spices, hyacinths, incense, fire, and secrets.

But Harry... he could only sense the heady smell of roses and the sharp taste of blood. Emerald eyes lost the frost in them as Harry bit down sharply on the offending intruder, raven-jade hair falling around his pale face as the taste of mystic blood erupted in his mouth. The strangest thing was, the taste of blood was not unfamiliar to him and he accepted it... for now.

Seamus jerked back at the sudden pain, a line of blood streaming from the wound on his lip even as it immediately began to heal. But most importantly, the dark intensity in his eyes dissipated into confusion. Looking down at the rumpled Harry, he shook his head and quickly helped to re-clasp the Prince's crimson robes closed. "Prince Kitten, your Fascination is getting out of hand, you know?"

The look Harry turned on Seamus was more exasperated and irritated than angry. "Don't you think I can figure that out for myself?"

''..... Sorry, but I'm not going to bloody apologize for that."

''You just did, but did I say that I expected you to?" asked Harry, a scowl on his face as he retrieved his ribbon and tied his hair once more. "I should get angry at being jumped on by everyone, but sadly, I am finding myself used to such occurrences. And don't call me Kitten."

''Why not?" asked Seamus, slowly licking away the last traces of blue blood from his lips.

A sharp, cat-like glare from Harry prevented the other mystic from speaking further. "Don't try my patience, Seamus."

''Ah, so you bare your fangs to me once more. If you don't want me to call you 'kitten,' don't give me a reason to." The easy-going smirk straightened to a strangely serious line. "Enough, I still haven't told you why I'm here. Even after such a warm welcome."

Harry swung his right arm, intent on decking Seamus at his face, but his arm was caught by the stronger boy. "Shut your mouth and let me go."

''As I speak, another Shadow approaches you. Honest to say, this one is much stronger than the Red Sage that you fought from before back in Shrike. I would keep my eye out. That's all I came here to tell you." At that, the leather-clad mystic released Harry, turning around to make his exit.

''Why didn't you just tell me that in the first place before you start playing your mind games?" shouted the crimson-robed boy. "Why do you have to tell me what I already know?"

Seamus slowly turned around, giving a close-eyed smirk at the Heir. Sharp, white fangs gleamed in the orange sunlight as he began fading away into the trees and shadows. "Why do you taste like nectar and blood? Answer that and I will answer all of your questions." 

''You're a monster."

''No, I'm Charm Lord's former _Assassin_." Then, he was gone.

Leaning tiredly against the tree, Harry once again looked at the still, silver-kissed mirror of water and waited for Hermione and Ron to finally make their appearances. As his eyes fluttered closed, the last thing he saw were ripples in the water as a vermilion-colored leaf fell upon the water's surface.

~*~*~*~

There were not too many people aside from a few white-robed monks with yellow hats and staffs who smiled congenially and bowed as they passed the three mystics. Harry, Ron, and Hermione could do nothing but stare at the strange people who greeted them so familiarly before walking towards the house nearest to a vast garden.

Both the Strategist and the Arch-Princess could barely hide their distress in finding that they had lost track of their charge because of their negligence. This was not the time to be letting down their guard when Charm Lord could be at every corner, just waiting for the optimal time to strike.

Looking back at his two errant companions, Harry pursed his lips to a thin line. He was not irritated at them even through they seemed to believe he is. In fact, the scarred half-mystic was only too relieved to find that they had not arrived earlier. He simply did not want to have to explain his disheveled state because of the unpremeditated attack of a Fascinated former Assassin-turned-Rebel.

Looking at the sliding paper door that served as an entrance to the house, Harry pulled aside the shoji and stepped inside. He immediately collapsed near the window, just barely sparing time to separate his sword from himself.

''Harry?" quipped Hermione, eyebrows slightly coming together in concern. "Did we upset you?"

Harry looked at the two before him before attempting to plaster a smile on his face. He did not seem to be too pleased with the outcome, but the others seemed to be fooled. There was still the acrid hint of blood in his mouth. "No, I'm just a little tired."

Silence reigned for about the next half hour before Harry finally turned his face away from the window, hands slowly clenching into fists. "What do the two of you know about a mystic named Seamus?"

That was the last question the other two could have expected. Ron exchanged glances with Hermione before staring back bemusedly at his other friend. "Seamus? What in bloody hell have you been associating with, Harry?"

''What's wrong with him?" remarked Harry, inconspicuously biting his lower lip in irritation upon remembering the molestation he had gone through. "And I haven't been 'associating' with anything." _A twisting of the truth, considering I was associating with a someone. Gods, what I would give to deck that git right on his smug face to wipe off that smirk. Come to think of it, it would make me eternally happy to be given the chance to do the same to Draco._

Hermione leaned against the wall next to Harry, slightly pulling on a stray lock of his hair. ''Charm Lord Severus has many spies, informants, thieves, and assassins under his command. Of the lot of them, former Lord Seamus excelled in all matters concerning espionage, stealth, deception, and flawless assassinations. Thus he was labeled with the title _Assassin_ or _Illusionist _just as Ron is labeled with Strategist, Draco with Messenger, Blaise with General, Cedric with Knight, and Marcus with Artisan." 

''Assassin is too good for Seamus. Perhaps _Court Jester_ would have been more appropriate," said Ron in a mocking voice.

Harry couldn't quite stifle his laughter at Ron's comment. "Friends, aren't you?"

''Got it right in one." The flame-haired young mystic grinned brightly, verdant robes swaying slightly as a cool wind gently blew in through the open window. "Seamus was never boring to be around even though he was exasperatingly reckless." 

''What did you think about Seamus, Hermione?" asked Harry.

There was not even a pause before the rose-crowned girl answered. "Profane, puerile, and perverted."

Ron and Harry stared at her as her quick answer surprised them. "You've thought about it a lot, haven't you?"

''Yes."

Ron smiled a wicked grin. "Shows you how much she likes him. Nice alliteration, Hermione."

''Certainly," replied Hermione sharply. "But honestly now, what are we going to do? A life without a purpose in the outside world is the same as a life within Facinaturu's walls."

''I don't wish to go back there, I just want to live a normal life." Green eyes misted over but did not shed tears. "Frankly, I could care less whether I live life as a mystic or a human as long as I am with the two of you."

Strategist and Arch-Princess drew the half-mystic tightly into their arms in a firm embrace. "We have forever, but if we stay in one place for too long, Charm Lord will definitely find us."

''There is going to come a time when I can't run away any longer."

Hermione sighed and drew away. Walking towards the door, she slid the paper door to the side. "I suppose we can discuss this issue in depth later. While we're here, I might as well go and find those tea cakes that Terry wanted. It's the least we can do after traipsing around and dragging him into this."

Harry followed her out of the door, but Ron stayed inside. "In that case, I'm going for a walk to try and calm my shot nerves. I'm thinking of walking in that garden if either of you need me."

''And my lazy self will be here to catch up on a bit of sleep," answered the verdant-robed young man who situated himself on one of the futon before falling asleep. "Just call me if either of you need any assistance."

The green-eyed half-mystic softly slid the door closed before making his way towards the gardens. "Shall we meet again later?"

''Yes, please be careful. Even the most beautiful flowers have their thorns."

~*~*~*~

White petals fell gently, raining like snow on the half-mystic. However, they disappeared before they every touched the ground, an illusion which kept with the falling bronze leaves of the eternal autumn region. The entire region was peaceful, set apart from the rest of the world by the ancient religion which binds itself to the roots. In truth, every leaf holds a mystery, every building holds a history, every petal is a life, and every tree contains a corpse. This once war-torn region is now a utopia for a pacifist, and the magic which grew from the bloody past is considered one of the strongest in the world.

The solitary crimson figure walked through the vast garden, like a knight without a quest. However, his is far from errant. Error finds the young half-mystic, despair not far behind, but as natural as the changing of the seasons, the young prince adjusts. Loneliness is not the best companion, but solitude was sometimes welcome for the slightly introverted young man as he walked deeper into the deserted garden. 

Harry raised a hand, catching a flower before it could descend into a nearby stream. He no longer felt tired, but he felt an insistent tension in the air. The answer came much quicker than he expected.

**__Even the most beautiful flowers have their thorns. Did not the Arch-Princess say that to your highness?__**

Sighing deeply, Harry turned towards the origin of the voice. "Are you the next one?"

**__Prince Harry expected me to be here? It is regrettable that the Prince of All Mystics must now die here when your highness' mystic powers are beginning to flourish.__**

''Answer my question!" hissed Harry, emerald eyes flashing amber. "I may have been stupid before, but I know enough when someone warns me. Seamus may be an arrogant git, but a warning is still a warning." Drawing Asura, Harry was once again engulfed into a mystic rage. However, this rage is much stronger than the first. The raven hair that framed the half-mystic's face rose with the static with came before the MysticalChange, becoming streaked with emerald green. Asura burned white-hot in Harry's hands. "Show yourself."

**__As your highness wishes.__**

Water rose from the stream and collected to form a tall mystic in elaborate blue armor. Strings of pearls were hung from the mystic's helmet and as the sun hit the armor, Harry could clearly see that the entire thing is made out of tiny scales. The BlueSage's raiment glittered like blood-stained metal against the dying light. An evil blade was clutched in his left hand, its edge was serrated like the edge of a leaf. He bore no resemblance to the RedSage except for a pair of glittering crimson eyes, too bright and intense to be human.

''Who has sent you? Don't you dare harm Hermione and Ron!" questioned and threatened Harry.

**__I hold no allegiance with Charm Lord. Nor do I have any intention of returning the Strategist and the seventy-ninth Arch-Princess to Facinaturu. My orders were explicit: to find your highness, alive or dead, and bring your highness back to my lord.__**

''And who is this lord?"

**__Enough of this, my prince. Time means nothing in Facinaturu, but my lord's patience is one which easily wears thin.__ **Before the BlueSage could speak further, Harry had already disappeared. A quick slice in front of the knight told him that he had let his guard down. Pearls fell upon the ground, as worthless as the fallen leaves in this time of battle.

''As of now, I could care less whose orders you follow." The half-mystic's grip on his sword tightened as he held in like a spear in front of his body. "However, leave Ron and Hermione out of it. If you do not, not even the Lord of All Mystics will be able to stop me."

The BlueSage quickly pivoted and jumped into the air, steadily gathering light and moisture around him. His blade quickly absorbed all that he gathered and suddenly disappeared. As he descended right on top of the half-mystic, Harry leapt back just in time to see a slash upon the earth he had just been standing on. Looking up, he saw the sun shine upon a thin—but sharp—blade of ice.

''Water's your element, I see." Harry's eyes narrowed into jade chips upon his pale face. "I don't have any time to spare for you." He thrust Asura on to the ground before him and held up both hands over his head in the formation of a cross. His eyes narrowed upon the charging Sage.

_**the Demon of an earthly realm**_

_**strident cries by a dark fallen angel**_

_**called upon by the mark of the rose**_

_**to quench all false light**_

_**to true stasis**_

**__I have seen the Arch-Princess try this spell. It cannot possibly work on me! Give up now!_ _**snarled the BlueSage, reaching forth to snatch the half-mystic.

''I am not as kind as Hermione or Ron. Do you actually think that I would allow you to tear us apart?"

_**PhantasmShot**_

As before, the earth before the Sage blossomed before he managed to reach the half-mystic. However, unlike Hermione's white rose, a dark red rose flowered. It was beautiful, a velvety crimson color which matched the color of the last drop of blood in one's heart, with tips a violet so dark it was almost black. A strange creature burst forth from the center of the rose, scattering the petals like fallen red rain upon the orange leaves.

A sharp scream erupted from the throat of the creature, which looked similar to a silver-grey phoenix. The cockatrice's dark green eyes fixed themselves upon the BlueSage as the creature's cries grew higher and more painful. As quickly as it came, it disappeared into thin air, leaving a stunned knight in front of the Prince of All Mystics.

**__Lord Blaise! __** shouted the BlueSage as he found that his entire body is petrified. A screen of steam still hid him from the half-mystic, but he knew that he was gone.

_Blaise?_ Harry's eyes widened with surprise, but his body seemed to move of its own as he pulled Asura from the ground again. He raised the sentient sword horizontally before him, only half-aware of what he was doing. Quickly burying the tip of the sword upon the ground, the half-mystic rushed at the mist, his path ignited into flames by the friction of Asura against the dried leaves. Reaching the BlueSage, Harry twisted Asura so that the flames were directly underneath the knight and jumped.

The BlueSage's crimson eyes momentarily locked into the frozen amber eyes of the half-mystic before he was thrown into the air with a brilliant column of hellish flames. As the rise reached its peak, Harry took the serrated sword of the BlueSage and his own Asura, igniting both against the scale armor. The result was an explosion which brought people running to the site, Hermione, Ron, and even Terry included.

_**RisingNova**_

_**_Amber... eyes...?_ **_

The mist intensified, seeping through the trees and the water, masking the sun in its obscurity. When it all faded, all that was left was the elaborated pearl-studded helmet against a tree and a soaked half-mystic. Tiredly, Harry turned around and gazed blankly at those before him.

''Harry?" asked Ron, rushing forward as his companion collapsed on to the ground. "Why didn't you call me? You know how much danger we're in these days! What in the bloody hell were you thinking, mat--"

Ron was cut off short as topaz eyes gazed into his, quickly reverting back to a deep green. One last sentence went past the half-mystic's lips before he succumbed to unconsciousness. "That is neither the first nor the last corpse a tree will ever hold."

Silence reigned before there was a flurry of activity. Several of the monks and Terry brought Harry back to the house, but Hermione and Ron stayed back a little.

The Arch-Princess' voice was at a whisper as she turned to her companion. ''Ron, what just happened?"

Ron shook his head slowly. "I'm not certain, Hermione. But it's clear that Charm Lord attacked again. My question is what happened after. You heard what that blue git said, didn't you?"

Hermione gave Ron a pained look. "I thought that this place would be safe, but it seems that nowhere is. Now, even Harry is changing."

''It's his choice, Hermione. Just as I will interrogate him when he wakes up of why he didn't call for us."

''Still, I would do anything to stop that rush of gold. It's foreboding. He is quickly learning the magic without instruction, Ron."

The Strategist hugged the Arch-Princess tight against him before they ran to find their Prince. "Nothing in this life is simple, Hermione. But as I said, we can't interfere."

''Harry..."

~*~*~*~

_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock._

''Hello, Time Lord. I am surprised that you managed to rouse yourself this time." Sirius smiled with a little warmth as a pale, lanky man with platinum grey hair appeared before him and returned his smile. "I never did understand why you would keep yourself within the confines of your region at all times, Remus. How are the monthly changes going?"

''As always, like clockwork." Remus' smile fractionally widened. "That is never a problem, Sirius. Otherwise, time really would be a concern for all mystics. Thus is the fate of the Lords of Time. It is a thankless job, but it is one that I have had the pleasure to enjoy for centuries without having to harm too many people. I like the silence."

Ring Lord's reply was filled with wry humor. "You are quite possibly the most introverted mystic there is."

''Draco."

Sirius rose from his throne and poured himself and his companion a cup of wine. "Yes, I had forgotten about that most renowned Prince of Darkness, haven't I?" He took a sip and handed the other wineglass to Remus. "What is your business, Remus?"

Time Lord took the wineglass, crimson eyes taking in the darkness of the wine before taking a sip. His white robes and silver and black armor caught the flames beyond the windows of the Mosperiburg castle, contrasting with the absolute stillness of his own region. Time Lord Remus' realm is a place where light and shadow alternate and where the stars shine in stasis in the dark blue sky. It is a stone road with many winding paths, protected by the signs of the Zodiac and of time, even to the legendary Serpentarius. A great Hourglass stands in the middle of it all, like a lookout tower, constantly pouring fine amethyst and diamond colored sand in the passing of time. In contrast, Ring Lord Sirius' palace is similar to an austere mansion of glass, gold, diamonds, and fire. Although it is almost as silent as Time Lord's realm, the constant flickers of fire and the reflections of light and darkness give an eerie, ghostly feeling that there is a presence in each room. There is no semblance of time, but there is a semblance of fear.

''Sirius, someone has managed to infiltrate my region. Whoever it was can only be a mystic and they have broken the Hourglass," informed the mystic darkly, his schooled features betraying no emotion. "Something is coming, Sirius, and I am not looking forward to this prelude to whatever battle is brewing. It does not feel that much different from when Severus had overthrown Orlouge centuries ago."

Throwing his glass of wine to the fireplace, Sirius quickly whirled to face his long-time friend. "The Hourglass is broken, and now time is flowing. Destiny is following the predestined path, and that is all because of my godson."

''Your godson?" asked Remus, sleepy eyes immediately becoming sharp and alert. "What does this have to do with Harry?"

Sirius sat down gracefully yet tiredly on his seat. "You have been asleep, so it is understandable that you do not yet know. Harry has been turned--"

''What!? Who had done such a thing!" yelled Time Lord, enraged. 

''Is it not obvious?" Long, manicured black nails created a crimson rose and raised it for Remus to see before crushing it. "It is clearly neither you nor I. Hell's Lord is missing in action and Space Lord cannot leave his region. That leaves only one other possibility."

Sharp fangs elongated from Remus' canines, showing an anger the rest of his body did not show. "Charm Lord."

''Harry was not fully turned. He remains a half-mystic and is at least not turned into a clone of Charm Lord Snape. If it was the other case, nothing would have stopped me from running _him _over with a carriage." Sirius sipped another glass of wine slowly, reflecting crimson flames into his eyes. "If he wasn't immortal, I would not hesitate into killing him myself, but I cannot interfere with what I am not directly involved with."

''You are missing a few things, Ring Lord." Remus slightly smiled, a gentle but dark smile, filled with secrets. "Whoever had broken my hourglass is clearly a mystic who has been there before, for no other race can enter or leave my realm without your consent for guidance. Even mystics who do not know the location cannot enter. No one else knows about this except for a few. There is only one reason for the breaking of the Hourglass which controls and halts the passage of time in the Mystic Realms and in Mystic Life."

Sirius' eyes narrowed darkly. "The assassination of a Mystic Lord by confusing the passage of time. What is going to happen? Did you see who broke it?"

Remus shook his platinum head. "I remain asleep when my region is and awake when it wakes. This happened before I had woken. However, I know one thing, the target Mystic Lord can only be Severus."

Slightly amused, Sirius glanced at Time Lord. "Oh? How so?"

''Had the person wanted to kill me, that time was when I was at my most vulnerable. Ring Lord's position can only be taken by a human through killing the current Ring Lord, and this person is quite obviously a mystic." At this, Sirius gave a slight, appreciative smile at the other's knowledge. "No one can access the region of Space Lord, for the region is currently closed off from everyone, even mystics and other Lords cannot enter. Hell's Lord is only accessible to the dead mortals, for mystics are absorbed when they reach their 'death'."

''And all of that leaves only Snape as the target."

''We cannot interfere," warned Remus wisely. "No matter how much you despise him and how much he hates you, we cannot interfere with fate." He soon started walking towards the back of Sirius' throne.

''Are you leaving now?"

Remus nodded slightly. ''Yes, I must find a way to fix the Hourglass. My region depends on it, so it does not count as interfering. I will see you again soon, Sirius. Watch over Harry."

With that, he touched a dark circle and disappeared from sight. Sirius' crimson eyes narrowed before his lips curved into a dark, secretive smile. He raised his goblet to his lips and touched a mirror which appeared before him. Harry's sleeping face appeared in the mirror, for once peaceful and untroubled by nightmares and long, suffering dreams. Ring Lord lovingly traced the curve of the cheek of the image of his godson, his eyes softening slightly before hardening again. "Don't worry, Time Lord. I won't let anything happen to Harry."

''I WILL NOT ALLOW FOR IT!!" Sirius shouted, throwing something towards the mirror and shattering it, causing the shards of glass to fall like diamond rain.

A blade-tipped black rose rested among the broken glass, absorbing all light as the glass reflected them.

~*~*~*~

Cedric smiled slightly as he danced, tearing his MysticSword through a Basilisk. Then a three-headed Chimera. Then throwing his black roses at the throat of a Siren, silencing her cries forever. Then at a ThunDragon. Finally, he sliced through a half-woman, half-snake Lamia. He jubilantly waltzed in the training grounds of Chateau Aiguille, pleased with the silence that was only broken by the death cries of his victims. 

The Black Knight raised his once-white gloves to the level of his corundum blue eyes, amused by the way the blood seeped through the white cloth, making its way down the sleeves of his orange Victorian robes. He let out a soft, slightly maniacal laugh as he waved a hand, getting rid of both his MysticSword and the blood which covered his pristine robes.

''Lord Harry, when will it be that you will change this eternal region? I am tired of the constancy. The eternal night. The petty power of the current Charm Lord who does not use his power other than for his own narcissistic pleasure." Cedric gazed fondly at the corpses on the floor. He took out a bladeless black rose from his robes and kissed its petals before scowling, crushing it into silvery ashes. "You are not a rose as you said, you are an amaranth. You are the legendary, undying white flower to bring power to this dormant region that I have been searching for all of this time. I will not settle for anything other than you. I am waiting for the day that you lay waste to Charm Lord as I have lain waste to these creatures."

He spun once more before waving his hand again, ridding the floor of the gore, the blood, and the corpses of the dead creatures. "You are the devilish angel, who the unbalanced harmony of endless insanity worships. The devilish angel of whom through an illusion, a myth is created. Is it not too late for me to compose a requiem for our sad fate? Your smile is only meant to sunder and our loneliness is beautiful."

''I never realized that you would drop to this despicable level, Black Knight." Blaise materialized ten feet from Cedric, leaning slightly on his scythe and the imposing figure of collectedness in comparison to the seemingly deranged Cedric. "Do you not know, or do you not care, that you are speaking such treasonous words in the stronghold of the one who owns you completely?"

Cedric's poise was regained, but the bright look of enjoyment—or madness—never left his eyes. "How could you speak of treason when the only lord I acknowledge is not here right now? He has not yet returned, but I am awaiting for the sun to also shine at night."

Blaise's eyes narrowed with suspicion as he swiftly brought his scythe down, cutting through the floor of the training grounds where the viridian-haired knight was standing seconds before. He swept the blade to the side, cutting clear through a pillar of dark marble and roses. "You have gone mad, Lord Cedric. Charm Lord has no use for the insane, especially those who are insane and traitorous."

''Did he tell you that himself?" glared Cedric, the mad light in his eyes still there as he kindly smiled at Blaise. "Or is some rat who was tossed around like a stepchild trying to delude himself that that is true? I think that you are the one who needs to conform before practicing hypocrisy, Blaise."

The smile on Cedric's face remained sweet, but the glare in Blaise's face darkened along with his temper. "I have had enough of you! Charm Lord or not, your power is mine!"

Cedric slitted his eyes, a complacent smile on his face. "Try if you can, Hunter Knight. If you can't kill me, I swear upon my amaranth that you will die a final death."

''Shut up!" Blaise raised his hands over his head in the formation of a cross, fixating his crimson gaze on the man before him.

_**in a city stained with greed**_

_**the offspring of greed and chaos rise**_

_**called upon by the mark of the rose**_

_**prayers remain unanswered**_

_**Reaper answers all**_

A dark yellow rose formed before Cedric, but the mystic merely raised up a hand in which a green flame had started to form. The rose quickly enlarged before turning a dull grey, fading into mists as a figure appeared.

_**PhantasmShot**_

The figure wielded a scythe larger than Blaise's wearing grey robes approached Cedric swiftly from the mists, intention clear as a skeletal face screeched. The scythe ascended then descended quickly, aiming for the Black Knight, who merely smiled a close-eyed smile. The eyes soon opened to reveal dark crimson eyes where sapphire blue eyes used to be.

_**everyone is like roses destined to travel forever**_

_**afterlife is a mystery death is more peaceful**_

_**DeathCurse**_

Tiny pinpoints of light tore right through Blaise's Reaper and surrounded the knight himself. The pinpoints of light turned into strange rune formations before burning themselves upon the ground, about to crush the mystic's soul before they were all blasted away with a strong mystic energy.

Cedric's eyes widened when he saw his spell fail, freezing in place as Blaise's smirking face descended upon his neck, sharp fangs fastening upon his veins and drawing out his blue, mystic blood. "How could I have—"

Blaise momentarily ceased his feeding, giving the stunned knight a malicious smile. "You underestimated me, Cedric. I knew that you are much stronger than me, but I realized that if I absorb your power, I could easily defeat that little minx of a half-mystic. So I absorbed the power of several other mystics before I came here. With your blood, I will grow stronger and I can finally enslave the Prince of All Mystics."

''You bastard... Don't you dare touch hi--" hissed Cedric, slumping against the ground, conscious but almost completely drained. The outlines of his body was slightly blurred, as if about to fade. "This can't be happening..."

''I respect that you have lasted this long. I have drained more from you than I had the other mystics, but they had quickly disappeared to signify their 'deaths'." The Hunter Knight pivoted and walked away from the collapsed form of the Black Knight. "I'll tell that half-mystic rogue that you send your greetings... that is, if I don't tell him that you have already disappeared. After all, your power is mine now."

Mocking laughter echoed back to Cedric as his gaze became a blank crimson. The last he could do before falling into sleep for the first time, was to teleport to Kurenai's Sanctuary, dropping a single blade-tipped rose into the fiery depths of the cavern.

Twinkling electric blue eyes were dimmed from their normal state as they gazed upon the sleeping mystic knight. "You are not wrong about the Prince of All Mystics, Black Knight. At least not completely wrong even if you are slightly radical and misconstrued in your thinking. The false light is disappearing. The true light is born. 

_''Despair and hope are the same in a mirror, but this is only the ending of the prologue."_

~*~*~*~

to be continued...

~*~*~*~

Disclaimers:

Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling and SaGa Frontier belongs to SquareSoft. I hold no claim on anything.

Notes:

~Sorry for taking so long to update again, but college has been hectic and I had been on a slump. Thank you to **Catzi**, **capitulatedDream**, and **Lady Jam**, whose sudden reviews got me off said slump. Great job on guessing on who Time Lord is, **capitulatedDream**!! Silence's character is a bit more vague to guess. It's not Neville, though that would be a good guess.

~There are several forms of **PhantasmShot**, for those who are wondering at why the spell incantations are different but for the same spell. So far, you have seen the forms of Nightmare, Cockatrice, and Reaper. There are other forms that I may or may not use. This is a **Mystic Magic** spell, but they also appear in **Mirage Magic**, a type which another character uses later.

~I promise Draco in the next chapter.


	12. Roses Destined To Travel Forever

Dark Fascination

by Asurahime

---------

Chapter Twelve

---------

_You are the devilish angel, who the unbalanced harmony of endless insanity worships. The devilish angel of whom through an illusion, a myth is created. Is it not too late for me to compose a requiem for our sad fate? Your smile is only meant to sunder and our loneliness is beautiful._

Pieces of heaven are falling like ashes from the sky, dancing in the wind like lovers lost in a never ending storm. I can feel the life flowing out of me, as precious as the black roses blooming from an evil god's heart, as the sapphire drops staining the most brilliant gold cloth, and as that legendary flower. The memory of time is being embraced by the night just as the past is vanishing into a cobalt future. The brand you wear upon your person condemns you, but the mark that you are to make upon our destiny begs for me to possess you.

There is an end to every life, but I wait in the shadows for my Angel of Darkness to bring me the light of day. I am faceless, pastless, overwhelmed by the amount of lives that I have taken while searching for my own. How could people be hurt by such loneliness? I can feel my palms burning with the life force of those whose lives I have taken. Whose lives I have destroyed. Whose lives I can and will continue to destroy for my fate to meet you. You will join with me in this illusion, the brink of this dream where the elegy of ghosts bring the comfort of madness.

In this time immersed in roses and dawnless night, I cannot be made into a distant memory. I cannot be as the phantom moon, the Reaper which throws dark shadows with no hope of the light of day. I am proud of this loneliness because you will soon be there to show me paradise. The paradise where only you and I reign and where all the world would tremble against the onslaught of our reprisal. There will be nothing precious remaining in this city stained with greed. Nothing is as precious as blood being spilled like rose petals against white, fallen snow. This illusion would be made into the sweet preparations for vengeance.

My cruel angel, I cannot yet perish. The sound of silence is deafening and I wait for the distant horizon when blood shall be shed.

I wait for the sun to also shine at night.

----------

Sun colored boots clicked resoundingly against black marble floors, echoing ominously throughout the dark room. The crystals of light threw brilliant golden shadows upon red-gold armor. Hair as crimson as a flame swept back from vermilion eyes as the beautifully terrifying figure made her way towards the waiting Charm Lord.

Arch-Princess Virginia, the Golden Lion, the eighty-first mistress of Charm Lord Severus, knelt down before her lord, laying her head gently upon his robes and accepting whatever attention he chooses to give her. It has been almost a century since she has last beheld the winding staircases and menacing spires of Chateau Aiguille and even longer since she has received comfort from her master.

''My Princess Lion, you have awakened." Severus' voice held neither surprise nor vexation, but simple nonchalance.

Unlike Zero Princess, the spell of Fascination has not faded from the clouded mind of this female knight. Her blood still binds herself to her captor like thorned vines, causing agonizing pain the more she resists the pull. "Yes, My Lord. My blood is boiling from inaction. I have just seen Blaise dispatch of Cedric as I made my way up to pay homage to my liege."

''You did not try to stop them?" asked Charm Lord, running manicured hands through his mistress' wild red hair, entertained by the rising and falling of the strands against the brightness of her robes. It was just like bright vermilion blood against pale skin under a crystal's light. It was how a certain human, so close to death, fascinated him enough to spare the mortal's life. Severus' crimson eyes turned black as onyx as he scowled at the memory.

Virginia looked up at her lord with blank, adoring eyes. "My Lord did not order me to stop them. I am not to interfere in what My Lord has not explicitly directed me to accomplish."

Thin lips curved into a cruel smile. "As you should, love." He bent down his head and kissed her forehead, tilting Virginia's face up with his hand. Severus then looked straight into her eyes commandingly. "You may not know yet, but I turned a human just over a decade ago. A young man with emerald eyes, hair dark as night, and a fire to match your own."

''Yes, My Lord. I have heard of Lord Harry, the Prince of All Mystics, for Blaise and Cedric had been arguing about him as I passed by unnoticed," replied the golden girl. "Unfortunately, I have yet to meet my Prince's acquaintance but I am looking forward to it."

''You do not mind that he is a half-mystic? An incomplete mystic who continues to bear human blood within him. An undead mortal who bears the irresistible instinct of sheer Fascination. Harry is audacious in every sense of the word, but he is also one I will never regret turning." Severus, in the remembrance of his errant heir, clenched his fingers into fists, the wind of power surrounding him whipped around wildly in his growing rage.

''Have I offended My Lord?" asked Golden Lion, worry shining in her otherwise blank eyes. "If I am not too obtrusive in my request, may I solicit an audience with Lord Harry?"

The wind calmed, but Severus' black eyes remained as mystic energy sparked like electricity through his long hair. "Therein lies the problem, Virginia. Harry, identical to Zero Princess, has managed to elude my grasp and has escaped from the Mystic Realm. His current imperfection prevents him from being subjugated to my will, the insolent, beautiful little fool. The Strategist and Princess Hermione have chosen to follow him in this insurrection."

''Has My Lord not ordered a search? Has General Blaise taken no action? Did Lord Draco not prevent the prince's escape?" questioned Virginia, astounded by the half-mystic's rebellion against Charm Lord. However, she was surprised at the involuntary ache in her heart upon hearing the name of one of Lord Severus' men, the distinguished Strategist of Facinaturu. The name seems so familiar yet so foreign now.

''My dear, I am charmed by Harry's spirit, so much like, yet so different from your own. I have already dispatched Blaise to search and return him, but there have been no favorable results. Two of Blaise's infamous Shadows have already been slain, and this is why I have awakened you. I trust no other." Severus held up his hands and bid Princess Virginia to rise to her feet. "Find Lord Harry, no matter what the cost. I will not tolerate failure."

Virginia rose to her feet and kissed Charm Lord's hands before disembarking. "As My Lord commands, so I shall. However, what has happened with Lord Draco? Is he not a knight as well?"

Severus' gaze returned to the color of crimson roses, his lips twisting into an malicious smile. "Of them all, he is the one held in deepest Fascination. This frigid mien is not brought about by an apt resilience, but by a will as adamant as a candle in the most bitter winter. His belief in a frozen heart is not his greatest asset, but his most fatal weakpoint."

----------

''They were here." Draco scowled at the Garden of Kyo. He could feel the strong, yet fading magical signature of the three errant mystics. Harry's remains the most prominent of the three, but he could have just as easily discerned that conclusion from the massive area of destruction in the center of the Garden. His charge must have had a meeting with one of the three Sages and it must not have been a peaceful visit.

''Hello, Your Prickness. How are you doing this lovely eternal autumn sunset?" A mocking tone came from Draco's left side—a painfully familiar tone. Seamus appeared from behind what was left of a tree. The once glorious plant had all of its leaves burned off, then was nearly sliced in half cleanly by a powerful hand. "Nice to see how much damage Kitten has caused, isn't it? All you have to do is wait until only a few regions are left intact and that will narrow down your search.""

Mercury eyes narrowed into a cat's pupil, slightly tinged with red as they glared angrily upon the Rebel. "Shut your mouth when you have nothing important to say, you miserable excuse for a mystic. What have you done to him?"

Seamus grinned, but the message in his amber eyes was just as poisonous. "Are you in any position to worry about my kitten, Draco? Why should I tell you when you work directly under Snape's orders? Who is the miserable excuse for a mystic puppet—I mean, prince—now?"

Draco, who never had the sweetest countenance, had his SilverMoon drawn and at the other man's throat in an instant. "I am not in the best of moods right now, _Assassin_. Do not try my patience or you will wish that you are able to die. There is a reason why I was assigned as the Prince of All Mystic's instructor, for I am the fastest and most cunning knight in Facinaturu."

''Are you done praising yourself now?" Seamus did not appear to be at all fazed by this.

''I said to shut your mouth! Do not forget that I have a certain tendency to accidentally wave my sword that can castrate you faster than your mind can even process pain." The Black Wing's voice was harsh, dripping with conviction in its tone. "Let us see if mysticism would allow the regrowth of **that** body part."

Raising his hands, Seamus backed off. "Don't be so rushed, Draco. The Eternal Flame has a message from Cedric to give to you."

Sheathing his sword, Draco's look turned skeptical as he glared at the mystic. The Assassin of Facinaturu is not the most trustworthy mystic around, which is why the title of Messenger was given to him. But why would Cedric trust someone like Seamus to deliver a message? Is Cedric even sane enough to still be able to think coherently?

A fragile, blank black parchment was exchanged silently. However, as Draco touched it, blue letters formed with a flowing cursive hand.

_A rose's verdant leaves contrasts with its brilliant petals._

_Without bright color, only the leaves, thorns and branches remain. _

_They are not endless, for deception only lasts as long as a timed seduction._

_All will fall to flames and the leaves, despite its serrated edges, is quite vulnerable. _

''Do you think that Cedric has finally fallen off the deep end? He sent me to give a message like this all the way to you! I didn't think that you would be the type who would be a good critique for passages like this. Princess Hermione may have been better." There was an expression in Seamus' face which just irked the silver-eyed mystic. It was both confident and mocking. Of course the damn_ Illusionist_ would taunt him, if only to pretend that he knows something Draco does not.

''If you know so much, then why don't you give me your own interpretation?" asked Draco, viciously slicing the air in front of him in giving the card to Seamus. "Show that you have more use than being just an insignificant fool, forever unacknowledged by others as an unnecessary ornament of Facinaturu."

Seamus batted the card away with a wide grin while his eyes blazed with ungodly ire. It was simple to bait people, but it is more difficult when the retaliation stabs back like a knife. "I would rather be an 'unnecessary ornament,' 'forever unacknowledged,' rather than a winged bird, forever trapped in a silver gilded cage, where a single word from my master can end even eternal life. However, it is up to you how you want it."

''Do not try my patience, you ingrate," drawled Draco, a hand already at his SilverMoon after pocketing the note in his robes.

''You as so welcome to try, but killing me will solve nothing." An uncharacteristic dark scowl appeared in Seamus face. "It will only put you on the same level as Blaise and put me in the same situation as Cedric--"

Raven wings almost bristled, betraying Draco's surprise, before he had the Assassin at swordpoint. "Explain. Now."

''Put down your sword or this unnecessary ornament will tell the bird in a cage nothing," hissed Seamus, but he calmed down as the midnight-blue robed mystic sheathed his weapon. "In truth the Eternal Flame, Lord Albus, did not divulge much knowledge to me. However, I saw Cedric. The man appeared half out of his mind even in the state of unconsciousness. He had no visible wounds, but I could easily tell by the amount of mystic energy that emanated from his body that he was almost completely drained. Blaise's mystical signature was quite easy to pick up."

''So Blaise attacked Cedric. But Cedric didn't disappear?" asked Draco.

Seamus shook his head. "That's what should have happened unless Blaise did not absorb Cedric's energy completely. Blaise is such a greedy bastard that he would have taken it all and more. In this case, the only possible explanation is that Cedric struggled against the General and escaped, or Blaise actually allowed Cedric to retain some of his power. Either case does not bring welcome news."

''And the message? Did the Eternal Flame tell you anything else?" Draco paced back and forth, impatience radiating from his form like waves.

Seamus remained silent, as if contemplating on the proper thing to say. When the silence became too drawn out, the winged mystic withdrew the black parchment once again.

''Cedric's madness should not be able to have time to create an atrocity such as this. Unsolvable riddles and multiple meanings--if Cedric is still alive when I return, I will kill him myself." Draco turned the words over and over in his head, wondering whether this is a simple message or the ramblings of a madman.

'''_Do not delve too deeply lest you find yourself lost, for there is always a straight way to the point you seek.'_ That is what the Eternal Flame told me. Lord Albus is just as confusing as Cedric." Seamus shrugged his shoulders and jumped, landing on a tree near the edges of the area of destruction. "Well, I'll be taking my leave of you now."

Draco drew five long, thin needles from his robes and threw it in the direction of the departing mystic. Each needle fixed themselves upon the leather-clad mystic's clothes and pinned him bodily against the tree. "Where are you headed for now?"

Seamus glared, baring fangs in the direction of Draco to convey his irritation. "You don't actually think that I would have someone so dull in my company all the time, do you?"

''Pathetic little ingrate. I have no use for someone like you," drawled the platinum-haired mystic as he walked towards the shadows of the trees in the Garden of Kyo, disappearing from sight with nary a whisper or indication that he had been there.

The trapped mystic held out a hand and the needles which pinned him against the tree dissipated into thin air. Turning around, he fixed his gaze on the shadows where the Messenger took his leave. In his mind, the words of the message ran clearly:

_A rose's verdant leaves contrasts with its brilliant petals._

_Without bright color, only the leaves, thorns and branches remain. _

_They are not endless, for deception only lasts as long as a timed seduction._

_All will fall to flames and the leaves, despite its serrated edges, is quite vulnerable. _

Fangs bared in a smile as Seamus mockingly bowed in that direction. "Is it just a simple message, or is it something more, Prince of Darkness? After all, the affliction of madness allows for the most terrifying prophecy." He turned around and disappeared with the smirk still on his face.

''You are still blind if you see a winding road, Draco."

----------

''Hermione, where are we?" Harry held up a hand to block out the light which streamed through the open door of the Ravenclaw. After gleefully eating the treats from the region of Kyo, Terry was more than happy to go region-hopping. Currently, they were in a region which appeared to be the total opposite of Facinaturu. It was filled with light and the undecorated, cavernous limestone walls seemed to magnify and reflects the light everywhere. There was not a single plant in sight, but all of the colors of the prism reflected like a rainbow net across the skies.

''Luminous, one of the major regions of magic," replied the white rose-crowned princess. "It is a proper name, if I might say so myself."

Ron squinted painfully. "After so many years in Facinaturu, something like this is just bloody torture on my eyes. At least that insane pilot of ours has stopped spinning us around the globe."

''It is just such a pity that there are no longer any safe places in this world," smiled Terry sadly. "Enemies can just strike at anytime and anywhere."

**_-You are certainly a knowledgeable pilot to be able to discern something like that. Or maybe just unfortunate.-_**

The voice caused all three mystics to jump in surprise, but moments later, they saw where the figure came from. The figure was clad from head to toe with green robes with a stature and power reminiscent of two earlier sages. A long green staff was held in the Shadow's right hand, sparking with an evil green light. Harry's eyes grew dark as he looked upon the staff. He has seen a light of the same color before but cannot remember when or where. Nevertheless, he is not happy in the turn of events. His eyes burned dark green, but bubbles of topaz raced across their surface. He forced himself to speak, but the world was quickly spinning in his vision. "All of you mystics are agonizingly persistent."

**_-At least your vocabulary has grown from what Lord Blaise had earlier implied. However, it is most deplorable to know that this is the end.-_**

''Terry, get away," warned Ron as he took a defensive stance behind his prince. "It's not good to have mortals involved in these fights."

''But--"

Hermione held up a hand and raised a barrier, preventing the pilot from crossing. "No, Terry. This is just so troublesome to have to fight again so soon."

Teal hair covered amber eyes, but Terry held back at the gaze Harry gave him. "In a lifestyle as the one I have chosen, I understand that peace can turn into a struggle in just an instant. How many of there are you?" asked the half-mystic, drawing Asura.

**_-Enough to bring you back. No one would be harmed if your highness would simply return.-_**

''Sorry, mate. We're keeping our winning streak," snarled Ron as he jumped, gracefully leaping from the cavernous walls towards the GreenSage. "Dammit!" He shouted as he his attack was blocked.

Harry was uncharacteristically silent as he swung Asura. It was as if he swung blindly, missing the target in his confusion. A vision, or perhaps a memory surfaced in his mind, making the world cease.

_"This is not the end of me, Harry Potter. My body may be destroyed, but my spirit will live on. I will not rest until the wound of that scar runs deeper than the false emotion called love. No matter if you live on and forget this moment, know that you belong to me. You are mine."_

Looking straight, Harry saw crimson eyes staring down at him as white needles of light tore through his body. Through the pain, he could barely feel himself fall. However, Hermione noticed.

''Harry!" Hermione angrily brought up a hand to eye level and from it fired a crystal white arrow at the Shadow, drawing out a cry as the shaft tore through green cloth, drawing dark blue blood.

Unsheathing his MysticSword, Ron charged at the GreenSage and in his rage, brought the mystic down to earth. Then, he jumped back to avoid the staff as he forced his muddled thoughts to clear upon the verge of a hidden battle rage which he has concealed since the last time he felt the danger of actual battle.

"Ron! Something's wrong with Harry!" yelled Hermione in fear as another diamond arrow tore through the downed mystic's shoulder. At each gentle release by Hermione, a piercing shriek tore through the air. "What did you do to him?"

**_-Nothing. However, I now understand that I must kill the two of you before I could reach him,-_** snarled the GreenSage. -**_None of the Shadows may be powerful, but the fact that the three of you can never be free of Lord Severus will break you down better than a blade ever could. The spell of Fascination cannot be averted.-_**

''So all of you are simply pawns in this amusing little game." Ron brought his hands over his head in the formation of a cross, then rapidly slashed down as twin spikes of granite tore two fresh wounds into the enemy. Before the first spell was finished, the cerulean-eyed boy began his next spell. As his fingers wove in and out of the complex gestures of the spell, Ron saw Hermione get knocked aside by a particularly vicious blast of wind. He was worried for his two companions, but losing concentration was the worst thing he could do. Focusing his attention in front of him again, Ron turned pale when he noticed two razor-edged blades heading straight towards him. Stumbling, he knew that he would not be able to dodge it in time and hurriedly shut his eyes to wait for inevitable pain.

"Get down, Ron!!" cried a voice, high with panic and terror. Then another hissed in a breath with an underlying edge which told of distress.

The agony that Ron was expecting never came, and so he opened his blue eyes in great reluctance. However, they fully opened with surprise and his pupils dilated in defiance of the light when he saw several drops of violet stain the ground before him: Harry's blood.

The fire-haired mystic immediately glanced up and blanched whiter when he saw a dark, cold aura emanate from the other boy as he silently parried, blocked, and returned the Shadow's attacks on him and an unconscious Hermione. Almost sick at heart, Ron saw that there was much more to his companion than the other probably knows. Once green eyes were turning a shade of amber and there was nothing he could do to stop it. There is great power, but a greater danger. This is power that should not belong to a compassionate being.

**_-Why do you keep on fighting against your destiny?! Lord Severus wants---_** started the GreenSage as he screeched hatred towards his prey. He threw his staff in the air, motioned once with his hand, molding the air into blades to strike down its enemy from above.

''Shut up," hissed Harry, all formalities put aside as he glared at the Shadow, the forms of Hermione and Ron at the edges of his vision. All he could feel was the cold burn of power from within him, coercing him to extend his sword and tear his opponent apart. This sharp lancing of energy called for blood and death to be cast. It terrified Harry to hold so much power.

_**Expelliarmus! Lacarnum Inflamare!**_

The three mystics froze at the sound of the unfamiliar words. The energy Harry felt from before still burned, but has slightly calmed at the sight before him.

**_-What have you done to me?-_** screeched the GreenSage as his staff flew from his hands and his robes set aflame. -**_I have failed, My Lord!-_** Just moments later, nothing was left of the Shadow aside from silvery ashes which were quickly dispersed by the wind.

''Are all of you all right?"

Hair as crimson as Ron's framed a pale, freckled face with blue-green eyes. The stranger was clad in well-traveled red and white robes, black boots, and a white knife and ebony wand were sheathed on his belt. However, his most distinguishing features were several bead necklaces. One of the necklaces also had an extremely familiar pendant on it.

''Thank you. But, who are you?" asked Ron suspiciously,he appeared to be the only one of the four, Terry included, who was currently capable of speech. This was not saying much, for he was equally startled to find the man in front of him resemble his features.

The newcomer stared at Ron without a word, surprised at the people in front of him.

''Fred!"

Harry broke out of his trance and glanced at both Terry and Fred. He once again glanced at the pendant on Fred's necklace and remembered Terry's apparent recognition of their new companion.

---------

_He took out what looked like a sunburst, galaxy-cut white diamond from a compartment next to his controls and got up to move back with the three mystics. He stood up in front of them and took out a strange necklace from his shirt. The necklace seemed to be made up of blue-green and amber crystal beads with a large pendant in the center depicting a crescent moon within another crescent. He set the diamond on top of the necklace and made the diamond spin. Momentarily, a map appeared on top of the spinning diamond, consisting of triangles to separate regions and small pictures of what the regions consist of._

_''Well, my Lord Harry, a RegionMap is a tool created by the house of Realm Magic to show all of the regions that you have been to. Combined with the Gate spell, a magician is able to cast a spell to take them to a region that they have been to before in a heartbeat, a little like mystic teleportation. Both require having to have been in the place one is going to. However, while mystics such as yourselves can teleport anywhere by picturing the place in your minds and could go to a specific place, magicians must have the RegionMap and can only appear at an entrance point of the region that is unhindered by barriers and shield charms."_

----------

It was simple to put two and two together. "You're from the Magic Kingdom." It was not a question and Ron immediately went into a defensive stance in front of Harry.

The magician named Fred went wide-eyed at Ron's immediate reaction. Looking past Ron, Fred met with the most intense emerald eyes he could ever hope to see. Their brightness put the sparkle of the region of Luminous, the shining region in the Ocean of Stars, to shame. He could feel himself falling, but his view was blocked as Ron moved Harry behind his larger frame. Fred immediately tore his gaze from the two back to Terry, fully disconcerted. However, it also did not take him long to realize why the others were so wary.

Lavish robes.

Unearthly jewel-like eyes.

Pale white, bloodless skin.

Rose-scented Fascination.

Mystics.

''Mystics. All of you are mystics." Fred's lips twisted into a grimace before bursting into a mischievous, yet sincere, grin. "No need to be so jumpy, mates."

''What do you really expect?" asked Hermione, surprising the red-clad magician of her presence as she woke up and got to her feet. "But if you know Terry, I hardly think that you would be a threat towards us. After all, he did dispatch of the GreenSage."

''Quite right!" reassured the teal-haired pilot as he jumped out of the Ravenclaw and cuffed the magician on his head. "This worthless git would hardly be able to harm a mouse, let alone anyone as powerful as the three of you. Fred, these are my traveling companions, Lords Harry and Ron and Arch-Princess Hermione from Facinaturu. Harry, Ron, Hermione, this is my good friend Fred from the region of Magic Kingdom. Despite differences, he's not really all that bad."

''Pleased to meet you. However, I never did understand why there is such antagonism between the mystics and magicians to begin with?" asked Harry, stepping out from behind Ron, sizing up their new acquaintance. The threat of the GreenSage was all but forgotten.

''Mystic magic is the opposite house as that of Realm magic. One cannot master both, for mystic and realm magic can be properly used only by certain individuals and the forces of each conflict. This is the same for Light and Shadow, Arcane and Rune, Time and Space, Mind and Mirage, Life and Evil. However, I have heard that there have been extremely powerful Master Magicians who were capable of mastering both Light and Shadow magic at the same time. Those who are able to are the only ones capable of mastering Life magic. Also, only those who have signed a pact with demons can learn the curses of Evil magic." Fred smiled at his explanation, knowing full well that he said more than he ever needed to.

Hermione's eyes were shining with barely contained excitement at hearing the explanation as Ron just groaned on Harry's shoulder. "That is fascinating! Research is never conducted in Chateau Aiguille aside from where it would be nice to add another pillar or which unsuspecting region to enslave. How would it be possible for someone to actually contain two opposing forces in one body?"

Harry waited for either Fred or Terry to answer, but only grim silence greeted him. "Terry?"

The pilot fixed his eyes upon the other man, a somber expression akin to worry and fear in his eyes. "............"

''Honestly, if it is that difficult to say, you don't have to tell us. After all, am I not already an example? I am human yet I am also mystic."

Fred visibly started at that. "It is nothing to worry about, mates."

Ron looked tired. "Look, we may not know you too well, but it is clear that the three of us owe both you and Terry a lot for saving our necks. If there is a problem, let us help."

''This is different, Ron. There is no use to hide it, Fred." Terry mused. "Their reasoning may be a bit off, but perhaps they really can help."

Hermione listened attentively as she strove to absorb every bit of information.

''I am traveling the regions in search of the gifts of magic." Fred started. "Although I may not have been the best at studying in my school of magic, I graduated first on just raw skill alone."

Terry's eyebrows shot nearly to his hairline. "Bloody hell. What does your version of 'raw skill' imply, Fred?"

The crimson-haired magician gave an impish grin. "At the first wave of my wand and before I could say the spell, the target, along with three-fourths of Pettigrew's Workshop was obliterated. I passed because no one really cared too much about the place since Pettigrew's insane experiments froze everything inside in stasis, along with himself. However, they are all still repairing the damage."

A low whistle came from Ron and Terry, both surprised at the power this man could possibly wield. Harry and Hermione just listened without comment.

''So you're a Master Magician," said Ron.

''No, and I can't become a Master Magician.''

''Why?" questioned Ron, wondering why a slight whistling sound was sounding in his ears.

''Because I am incomplete."

Terry, who momentarily closed his eyes, opened them to stare directly into Harry's. "In the Magic Kingdom, it is both a blessing and a curse when twins are born. They are both destined to be gifted and resourceful. However, they cannot become full fledged Master Magicians because both are incomplete. They are two halves of the same soul."

''My twin, George and I, are believed to be the two parts of one of the most powerful Master Magicians ever. However, neither of us are 'him' because our souls are incomplete. In that way, having a twin is one of the most unfortunate things to have, especially if the connection the both of you establish is strong." Fred leaned against the side of the airship with a faraway look on his face. "I am not allowed to lay eyes on or communicate with my brother until the last day."

Harry's eyes hardened, hands clenching into fists at his sides as the three mystics felt dread pass through them at the forlorn tone of the other. "What do you mean 'until the last day'?"

''The Magic Kingdom's doctrine preeminently states that it only needs one Master Magician, not two incomplete magicians," replied Terry, eyes downcast.

''So what is that supposed to mean?" Hermione clutched on to Ron's arm.

Fred looked back with a bright, false smile on his face. "It means that I must gather as many of the gifts of magic as I can for now. On the day I finally meet George again, either he or I must successfully kill the other."

''Such is the fate of an incomplete soul."

''..............."

''Fate is not necessarily fixed."

''Your soul may be incomplete, but it does not mean that you are lacking one."

''Let me go with you."

''I said fate is not fixed, not that you can run away."

''Please."

''You don't know what we are up against."

''We don't want others involved."

''You just said that people shouldn't run away."

''.........."

''I promise not to play pranks on the Ravenclaw."

Four heads nodded assent, albeit reluctantly.

----------

Soft angles and high cheekbones gave his partner's face a feminine grace, but certain lines and the aura of power gave him a distinctly masculine beauty. Draco rejected it at first, sneering with a cold veneer at how a human could possibly hold his attention, let alone is interest. However, as time passed, the interest has grown to an obsession. There was a need to possess and to mark. To shelter that form in his black wings and to see that person cringe in pain as rose thorns and serrated leaves scored the pale white canvas of skin.

It may be due to the lack of light, or the dull crystal light which gave a hazy feel to everything around. Secrets are hidden in the darkest part of night, but in a region immersed in eternal midnight, lies can become truth. Yet at this sudden revelation, no amount of sarcasm, wit, or rhetoric can save him from falling.

It was unnerving. Lord of All Mystics, why was he thinking of that half-mystic in this way? He who despises everything and holds everything at a distance with his sharp tongue ready to spit out poison at all who come near is unbalanced. Has he become as steeped in madness as the green-haired Black Knight? Or is this self-inflicted? It matter not, aside from that it is neither his fault nor his choice.

Draco's quicksilver eyes widened slightly in surprise. Gazing upon his partner, deep in the hold of Fascination, made him act without thinking. He grasped the other and moved his lips closer.

The Messenger heard a gasp, but the sound was ignored as he looked into the deep, stunned jade. "You--"

The other did not have a chance to say anything further as Draco felt him shiver against him. He could feel every quiver as the trembling boy could barely stand, his voice barely working.

Not that he had the chance as Draco pressed forward again.

The way the kiss started was far from intimate, just a mere brush of lips upon lips. However, the lack of movement from the other allowed the Prince of Darkness the advantage. He knew that this could end at any second, but at the moment, he quite conveniently discovered that he didn't care. The thought of someone else like Blaise or even Severus claiming this innocent/tainted creature angered him. However, he simply licked his lips and watched, fascinated, as the raven-haired half-mystic in front of him attempted to struggle.

''Just give yourself to me, Harry."

''Draco..."

A growl was ripped from the older mystic's throat as his eyes flashed darkly. "You are treading on dangerous ground if you say my name like that. Give unto me."

Once again, he did not allow respite as Draco descended upon Harry's lips with bruising force. It only took a moment to part the smaller boy's lips apart, but prying the boy's teeth apart took a longer time. Although barely conscious at the heady kiss of the other, Harry still would not surrender without a fight. However, Draco's insistence triumphed as he was welcomed into Harry's mouth, albeit hesitantly. Finally allowing the intrusion, Harry tilted his head at an angle to better accommodate the platinum-haired mystic's kisses. He really had no choice, for the desperation and the utter branding by the frenzied kisses upon his skin allowed for no rest, but a tight anticipation upon both parties.

Draco grasped at the ribbon tying Harry's jet black hair, languidly watching the strands spill over his leather gloved hands and against the white skin. He released the other's lips and smirked at the slightly violet lips parted before him. Green eyes met silver and held, both dark with lust and an unknown desire. Breaking his gaze, the Black Wing moved down and tugged at the nape of the neck of the Prince of All Mystics, baring a pale throat. Light violet veins traced faint lines across Harry's throat and rather than feeling repulsed, Draco found himself fascinated and famished.

It did not matter that the person before him has a higher status. It did not matter that he is a half-mystic. It did not matter that he is male. All that mattered was that Draco desires this person and that Harry is his. Fangs elongated from Draco's teeth as he prepared to sink them into the unmarred skin before him, both cold with mysticism, warm with life, and irresistible to mark as his own.

Draco suddenly opened his eyes to stare at the rainbow bridges and crystal light suspension across the region of Luminous. The visions are more intense than expected and the mystical signature of the three mystics are still strong. He is getting tired of this chase and of not seeing the only one who counts.

But he is getting closer as he unfurled his black wings again.

_Everyone is changing because reality does not remain in the same place._

----------

to be continued...

----------

Disclaimers:

Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling and SaGa Frontier belongs to SquareSoft. I hold no claim on anything.

Notes:

--Yes, I'm alive. Does anyone even bother to read the Author's Notes? I must admit that I'm guilty of this. However, I still apologize for taking so long. Writer's block, Disgaea, Naruto, PoT, AnimeExpo, and the third Harry Potter movie do not mix well. Actually, the reason I even got off of my slump was because it turns out that Hikari Nanase's (my best friend's alias) friend was **capitulatedDream**. Small world, eh? A promise is a promise.

--Speaking of promises. There's Draco. I promised Draco and you got him. I'm really uncertain about high-rated scenes and the R rating in this fic is honestly only due to dark themes. It's just a light R, high PG-13 because of how insane and obsessive and insanely obsessive some characters here are made out to be. I like to focus on plot because I am totally useless when writing even kissing scenes. I don't know. I just get really self-conscious of how I suck.

--Fred and George's twin predicament makes me want to write a totally separate fanfic just on that idea. What if twins in the Magical World really were two halves of the soul of an extremely powerful wizard? What if they actually had to kill each other because only destruction would come from having two incomplete wizards? It would definitely make me cry and hate myself, but the concept truly fascinates me.

--Thank you all for the reviews and I am glad that you have enjoyed my fic so far. I would thank each of you, but in reading some of the fics so far, I sometimes find myself saddened by the amount of thank yous versus the amount of fic. I am not necessarily saying that it is a bad thing, but I will wait until the very end to do so to spare some people the scrolling.

--Draco? Fighting off evil? Ask yourselves if Draco is a "good" character. Ask yourselves this after: is Harry a "good" character? winks Do not take things at face value, for you will be trapped in the unbalanced harmony of endless insanity. If you are really strong, try to decipher the prophecy. Don't worry, it's complete.


	13. With Neither A Vision Nor A Prophecy

Dark Fascination

by Asurahime

----------

Chapter Thirteen

----------

Everyone is like roses, destined to travel forever. All belong to a dark pantheon of immortals, as forbidding and majestic as a lunar eclipse. Feathery sable clouds are borne by silver winds across a cobalt canvas. A false crimson moon floats like a vermilion ruby in the veil of midnight, beautifully alone without the company of angel dust. Regions are mere epitaphs across the mirage of the Ocean of Stars, witnesses to the rise and fall of power, ruled by the darkest rose-scented fascination.

This brightly shining Eden runs errant. The songs of angels are replaced by the laments of the damned and the white lines leading to tomorrow are severed by the blades of a cruel angel. There is no differentiation between time and space, for both are powerless against the wrath of the godless. The moonlit land exudes a sleepless beauty as the white flames of change rage through. This is a paradigm of Hell, brilliant with the contrasts of obscurity and diamond-points of intense color. Hell lies between the presence and the utter lack of all light.

Here is no longer Paradise. Is it not beautiful? What is the power of prayer when there is no god? This is far east of Eden where one more angel has fallen, dreaming in power to see the true light of the sun. This is a land ruled by the sophistication of lust and revenge rather than volatile love and empathy. Platinum and silver give muted illumination, false light against injured black wings. Only blind games can be played in the moonlight. Times of revenge run rampant, the strong descend, and the cunning reign.

Stars give guidance, but the bloody moon captivates. Moonflowers grow under that dim light and we are the stone roses who last throughout the ages. Empires rise and kingdoms fall and I have witnessed them all. The flames raze and will not be quenched—as my anger is motivated by power. There are those who fear me and those who curse my name, but they are all shadows of nothing.

All in this region belongs to me. This epitaph is mine to create and dispatch of as I wish. The stone roses who wander away from me will understand that they are only living a fantasy. No amount of prayer will be enough to forever escape the mark of the rose in this banished citadel.

Godless seraphim offer no surrender.

----------

''So," sneered Severus. "I see that all three of Blaise's Shadows have been destroyed."

The platinum cylinder in the table in the center of the room suddenly blazed with fire the color of moonlight. In the heart of the flames, the image of a man, clad in black robes and with floor-length hair appeared. His crimson eyes shone as bright as the jewels in his rings and the adamantine coronet over his forehead, but his hair reflected no light. Ring Lord Sirius regarded Charm Lord Severus with a mixture of condescension and mockery. "You never were any good at playing fairly with others. I suppose that's why they want to leave you so badly."

''What do you want?" snapped Severus, turning towards the image of his fellow Lord.

''You always were too greedy. I warned you that bad things will come from avarice," rambled Sirius with no forgiveness. "Did you actually think that you could have gotten away with it?"

Throwing out a hand towards the cylinder, needle-thin and razor-sharp blades of crystal tore through the image and embedded themselves on a black pillar, completely shredding an unfortunate black rose. ''It would be a vast improvement if you would learn to shut your mouth. Cease behaving like a petty, narcissistic little child--"

''_Narcissistic_? Whomever are you referring to, _Charm Lord_? Who among us has over a hundred mistresses but loves none?"

Severus' black eyes immediately grew as red as Sirius'. The wind of power flowing about him grew stronger, reflecting his rising anger. "Do not presume to know anything about what is going on, Black. I am familiar with the workings of lust, but a creature such as yourself can hardly conceive that in learning lust, it is difficult not to also know the mechanics of love. It is a weak and unstable emotion, but extremely efficient to suit certain purposes."

Sirius laughed humorlessly. "Quite right, of course I don't trust you. You actually expect me to believe that you have fallen? You, who has brought countless under that curse of Fascination? Moreover, the Prince of All Mystics is hardly the choice for your unwanted and unwarranted affections."

''And what makes you think that that is so? You hardly know the mechanics of such an important concept," hissed Severus. "And why are you so interested my progeny, Black?"

''Despite what you may think Snape, turning someone without their consent hardly makes them your descendant. And from what I have heard, this one is giving you quite a bit of trouble. Serves you right, you snide despot." Ring Lord could barely keep his tone from a snarl, his elongated fangs apparent even from the flickering flames.

''My proper behavior, or your assumption of my lack thereof, is hardly anyone's concern but my own, Black. Now begone!" shouted Charm Lord coldly.

Crimson eyes met crimson eyes across the flames, anger flickering within each pair. "You may think that you can control everything, but remember that you cannot. I am one of those you never have, and never will, be able to enthrall."

Severus lifted a hand palm up quickly.

_**a blue moon falls to pieces**_

_**the brilliant world vanishes into darkness**_

_**called upon the mark of the rose**_

_**the silent sky disappears**_

_**the Nightmare begins**_

_**PhantasmShot**_

A white rose blossomed within the heart of the fire, suddenly turning blue. Almost instantly, the moonlight-colored flame grew into a midnight-colored flame instead. Seconds later, the room is plunged up into darkness.

''You simply presume too much, Black. I have no need of traitors and miscreants. You are one. My Assassin is another." Crimson eyes narrowed into sharp shards of ruby. "And then, there is _him_."

----------

''Ron, I'm worried." Hermione approached the fire-haired Strategist, resting her hand upon his arm.

Ron glanced down upon the rose-crowned Arch-Princess, confusion running rampant across his features. "What are you worried about, 'Mione? Is Charm Lord attempting to summon you again?"

Hermione shook her head negatively. "For how long are we going to be able to run away? You and I know that we cannot just run forever. Charm Lord's rule is absolute and we have tasted his vengeance first-hand. He is currently toying with us, probably amused at how we continue this futile struggle against him. Lord Severus is not a patient mystic."

''I know that, 'Mione," replied the Strategist, glancing at Harry and Fred. "But do you honestly think that we can just give up? We've gone this far and I don't know about you, but I will see this to the bloody end. And I have a feeling that the end will be quite bloody."

Lowering her lashes, Hermione had the decency to look abashed. "You're right, I can't abandon Harry or you. Especially not right now when the circumstances are most dire. But... we can't be here forever."

Ron gripped Hermione's hand tightly, gently lifting her chin with the other hand and forcing her to look up at him. "Hermione, listen to me. We will be all right. All three of us will be able to get through this alive. I promise you and Harry that. I've lost my family and I couldn't do anything when Snape turned my sister. But I will be damned if I let anything happen to either you or Harry."

Lightly laying a kiss on Ron's cheek, Hermione nodded her head. However, she could not lose the ominous feeling of dread growing deep within her heart.

Fred glanced up at Ron and Hermione, lips uncharacteristically set in a straight line. His eyes were fixed upon a flame color similar to his hair and he promptly frowned, suspicions perked. On the other end of the Ravenclaw, Ron once again heard a low, whistling sound beckoning at him. He turned around and solidly met the Magician's gaze. "Is there something you want, Fred?"

The young magician was silent for a moment before standing up and approaching the Strategist. "You know, I have had suspicions from the beginning. I may be right or I may be wrong, but I have to ask anyway."

Harry also stood up and approached the three. He was joined by Hermione as the two other men faced off. Terry could sense the tension but wisely remained at the pilot's seat and let the others go on with their business. As long as there is no bloodshed within his beloved Ravenclaw, the teal-haired pilot was content.

''Frankly, I have had a strange feeling since I first met you," said Fred, staring down at the shorter red-head. "It is like I have met you before. I can't ignore it anymore because it is driving me crazy. And if I am not mistaken, it is driving you up the walls as well."

''Get to the point," replied Ron bluntly, hating it when people took their time.

There was a pause before Fred continued. "From what I have heard, the three of you were turned by the current Charm Lord. But that means that all three of you used to be human."

All three mystics nodded confirmation.

Fred fixed Ron a pointed look. "I used to have a brother--"

''But isn't he still alive?" asked Harry, green eyes showing his confusion.

The magician shook his head. "Before I was sent off to the Magic Kingdom University, I lived with my parents, three older brothers, George and a younger brother and sister. For some reason unknown until this day, my only sister disappeared. My younger brother disappeared soon after--"

Terry promptly turned on the auto-pilot and rounded upon Fred almost violently. "You never told me about this! Is this one of the reasons why you and George were separated?"

''The main reason why George and I were separated was because we were twins. However, the Elders never told anyone that it was also because it gave either one of us a better chance of survival should whoever took my brother and sister come for the next younger children."

Harry looked out the window at the layers upon layers of clouds as they rapidly descended on a mist-covered region. Broken buildings stood like epitaphs across the wasteland, heroes whose honorable deeds have been forgotten, hidden by crimson and the encompassing presence of unyielding time. Stone and wood lay strewn about like fallen autumn leaves in Kyo, but the stark grey of the region had a severity not present in Kyo. As Kyo is the region of eternal autumn and Luminous the region of eternal light, Wakatu is the region of the eternally forgotten.

The half-mystic turned towards Fred. "What were the names of your brother and sister?"

Fred smiled widely but his eyes betrayed his agitation as they landed on Ron. "That's the thing. No one remembers. Because no one tells us anything, all I have been able to find out is that they disappeared over ten years ago."

Glancing at Ron, Harry faltered in what he was about to say. "What does that have anything to do with us? Are you saying that Ron could be him?"

The Strategist's eyes narrowed in frustration. "That can't be."

''And why not?" asked Fred and he and the others were slightly taken aback by brusque tone of the leaf-robed mystic. "I do not remember all that well, but I get this feeling about you. It's like I have known you from before. You can't deny that we have similar features."

''I have been subjugated under the rule of Facinaturu for over a hundred years. That is why," replied Ron.

''In becoming a mystic, one does not only forfeit one's mortal existence, one also forfeits one's mortal memories," added Hermione. "It is not commonly known to others and most mystics do not even notice it. But even if Ron had been related to you in the past, three reasons sever your familial connections."

Harry blinked at Hermione, stunned by the information he did not realize himself. "Three reasons?"

Ron nodded. "Yes. The same blood no longer runs in our veins, something that neither magic nor science will be able to explain. Our memories have been taken away and all we remember is what happened after we are turned. Finally, we no longer exist in the same regions. Those claimed by another, whether by force or not, will be separated by the Ocean of Stars' rule indefinitely."

Turning back to Ron, Harry continued to interrogate her, not quite understanding. "So we just forget everything like that? But that is just stupid!"

''Is it?" asked Hermione. "What is your name?"

Harry continued to stare at her like she was insane. "Harry."

Ron continued. "And your last name?"

''Potter."

''And your parents' names?" quipped Terry as he moved back to the pilot's seat to land the Ravenclaw.

Harry was silent for a time, green eyes unseeing as he tried to remember the answer to the question. He could have sworn that that information is not something that he would forget. But unfortunately for the half-mystic, it was simply not coming to mind. "I—I don't remember."

The Arch-Princess clung on to the Strategist's arm as she gazed worriedly at her Prince. "Frankly, it is surprising that you are still able to retain information such as your last name, Harry. Perhaps it is due being a half-mystic, but with the introduction of mystic blood, we are all destined to forget everything prior to our rebirths. It is another price we did not know we had to pay upon turning."

Fred nodded and fixed a grin on his face once again. However, Harry could see the pain hidden behind the smile. "I have heard of this as well. It is used by Charm Lord as a tool to subjugate those under his power. It is a component in mystic blood which is similar to an extremely potent _Obliviate_ spell."

Ron could not stop himself from clapping a hand on the other red-haired magician's back. "At this point mate, it doesn't really matter whether I used to be your blood brother or not. This whole thing is too bloody jumbled all together that we are probably related anyway."

''We're here, Fred and your highnesses," announced Terry, white teeth sparkling with the interior lights of the airship. "Welcome to Wakatu. Former home region of Viktor Krum before a corporation known as the Death Eaters came and utterly annihilated the place."

''Death Eaters?" asked Harry. "What kind of person would think of such a name?"

Hermione and Ron shared a glance, equally confused as to what the name meant.

The magician noted the door opening and started to get off the Ravenclaw. "Lucius Malfoy of Baccarat would. And if you ask as to why, well, there has to be** someone** attempting to take over all the regions. Some power-hungry idiot who became insane upon the loss of his son many years ago."

''I see." The half-mystic was the last to climb out of the airship before he turned back to Terry. "Terry, I've been meaning to ask. What on earth are we doing here?"

The amber-eyed pilot smiled. "Well, considering that this place is as you see it, I highly doubt that anyone would be looking for you here."

Hermione's blue eyes grew dark upon the pilot's words, mirrored by both Ron and Harry. They knew that no matter where they run, be it the depths of Hell or Paradise, Charm Lord would be able to find them. As long as the tainted mystic blood ran through their veins, they cannot consider themselves safe. Nothing, not even Lucius Malfoy would be able to parallel the possessiveness present within Severus. If he can spend an eternity chasing after the dream the lost Zero Princess now presents, what is to say that he will stop his search for the three of them while they were still under his command.

But it was nice to dream. It chased away the nightmares which would otherwise raze through their nightly thoughts. There would be no use of surviving otherwise.

''Oh Terry, the thought is nice, but I don't think that it will ever be enough."

That way, it was not surprising to note the fiery mane of the woman standing before them as they left the Ravenclaw.

"Lord Harry, I was wondering about when I can finally meet you," floated a leonine voice from the figure. The three mystics and Fred looked past the rubble and grey mists to see the red-gold armored figure of Severus' eighty-first princess. Walking forward, Harry's face hardened with both pain and resolve as he noted the girl's drawn sword.

''Ginny..." Ron started forward but was held back by Hermione. Although the blood relation no longer exists, the Strategist can still feel cutting of their ties as painfully as if it was happening once again. His sister has forgotten who he is. Forgotten who she is. Ginny no longer exists aside from her eternal role as Severus' doll.

The Lion Princess stood in front of them, sword drawn and eyes closed. "I was wishing desperately that Lord Harry and yourselves would come to your senses and return to Chateau Aiguille. Why are you fighting the pull of Lord Severus' charisma? Are you not happy as you are? I never wanted it to have to come to this."

Harry almost shook with anger. "Happy? I never wanted any of this either, but it doesn't mean that I will just prostate myself before Snape."

''So you are choosing to fight?" asked Princess Virginia with a tone betraying her disbelief.

''Fred, stay back," ordered the green-eyed half-mystic. "This is not your fight."

The magician looked hesitant. "But--"

However, Harry's tone offered no argument as he turned around and exploited Fascination to full effect. The others, including Virginia, were stunned at the transformation of the young prince. Emerald eyes flashed and raven hair slightly crackled with static as Harry forced as much of his will through the enthrallment. "Now."

Being human, the magician had absolutely no resistance to the unearthly power the other was showing. Fred had not been able to obey the command as the other hoped, for he had met the other's eyes for a mere second before collapsing. Ron and Hermione turned away, ashamed that others had to be involved, as Terry quickly drew Fred back into the Ravenclaw. He met Ron and Hermione's eyes for a brief second, unwilling to meet Harry's at the moment. He had experienced the effect of Fascination before but the current state of his friend prevented him from wanting to experience it again. "Be careful."

Harry faced the Arch-Princess with sad eyes, flanked by both Ron and Hermione. Ron almost looked catatonic with the thought of fighting his own sister. Hermione forced herself to remain quiet so that she would not lash out at Charm Lord's name for putting the in this predicament. Arch-Princesses were not supposed to fight, let alone one another. However, Golden Lion was not the typical princess. "We don't wish to fight. It is just Charm Lord's predisposition to subdue his subjects through force."

Drawing his own sword, the half-mystic met Virginia's crimson eyes as she opened them. "Will you fight then?"

''Yes."

Sighing heavily, Harry raised his sword as Ron and Hermione, with pale faces, drew their hands up to attack the flame-haired Princess. But before anyone can move, Harry whirled around to face his own companions.

_**enshroud all-encompassing light**_

_**playground for the nephilim of old**_

_**called upon by the malignant night**_

_**true beauty be mine to mold **_

_**Fascination**_

Ron and Hermione's eyes immediately grew blank, enthralled as they met the uncharacteristic vermilion eyes of the Prince of All Mystics. They could clearly see the apology within them, but the resolve and an almost savage passion raged beneath the glassy surface. This was not the same pull from Charm Lord that they had felt from before. Within Harry lies the origins of an even more powerful mystic than Severus. His eyes alone cannot be resisted.

Harry rushed forwards upon finishing the spell, feeling sick to his stomach as he saw his two friends freeze. However, he lowered the point of Asura to the ground as the two sword clashes. Golden Lion jumped back, but Harry fell to his knees in the impact of the two blades, a deep scratch across his cheek from a recoil barrier surrounding Virginia.

''Please understand, I cannot disobey Lord Severus," said the golden princess with painful remorse visible in her crimson-colored eyes. Whether that repentance was for Harry or something else, neither could tell. She stepped forwards and raised a gloved hand to the deep scratches on her adversary's face and sighed in sympathy. Crimson eyes met crimson as Virginia started to feel herself falling for a second time. "My Lord, if I have not already a Sire, I would gladly place myself in your mercy. However, I have already sworn by blood, by life and by the golden adamant of my sword, to follow Lord Severus' will."

Standing back up, Harry lifted Asura once again. "Then why can Hermione and Ron leave? I don't understand you mystics at all." He swung his sword in a rapid side-cut but just as soon as it was parried, he reversed the angle of the weapon and scored a trail against the girl's armor and swordarm.

Virginia momentarily closed her eyes before opening them again, rushing forward at blinding speed, thrusting her sword towards the junction of Harry's shoulder. Twisting quickly, Harry barely managed to avoid the attack for while his shoulder was spared, the ribbon holding his hair now lay in tatters on the floor. It was then in the middle of the battle that the Arch-Princess noticed the weapon being held by her half-mystic Prince. "I should have noticed it earlier. Asura."

Slightly grimacing, Harry drew his sword in a vertical slash, clipping the edge of the blade with Virginia's own sword, both drawing crimson sparks from live steel and flowing magic. "My sword?"

''Yes. Artisan Marcus made Asura for you, didn't he?" asked the other as she jumped back and slashed her sword upward, forming a wheel of fire before her. Igniting it like a match, the fiery circle rushed towards the half-mystic. "Asura. The sentient crimson sword named after the fabled god of destruction. Just as Asura is your weapon, I am Lord Severus'. He has entrusted me with his well-being like he has no other. The flames of rebellion have begun to raze our lands and I cannot just stay back and let it burn."

''Don't compare my sword with yourself!" shouted Harry just as he parried the attack and immediately riposte. "You're alive aren't you? No one should have the power to control the life of someone else."

''You are wrong..." whispered Golden Lion, blocking and backing away slightly at the intensity of the half-mystic's words. "And Lord Severus is wrong. You are too confused to be caught up in the terrible game being played in this life."

Stunned at the retreat of the other, Harry dropped Asura, still warm from his fingers and the clashing of blades. "Princess Virginia..."

''But I cannot betray Lord Severus!" whispered the Arch-Princess harshly, tears finally forming in her eyes as she took a momentary glance at Harry and her frozen former brother. She then kissed the blade of her sword reverently before holding it horizontally before her and throwing the steel blade towards the unarmed half-mystic.

Harry's crimson eyes widened as mystic static started to sparkle across his hair. Black slowly grew to a dark green shade, fanning around his face in an unseen wind. It was a terrifying but magnificent sight. However, nothing was stopping the blade from its given path.

''You still fight like a bloody amateur."

Raven-black wings suddenly appeared in the half-mystic's peripheral vision. A long, silver blade knocked the Golden Lion from its set path, right back at the stunned Arch-Princess. _Draco....?_

''GINNY! Move!"

Virginia, unable to move, could only watch as her own sword buried itself into her own shoulder, blue blood leaving dark trails against the gold of her armor. Her hair, once as crimson as flame became soaked in the liquid, turning a black color as the crimson and blue mixed. "How..."

Quicksilver eyes glared darkly at the Arch-Princess as a long, silver sword pointed itself towards her. "Touch him again and I'll make sure that you will never be able to pick up a sword again, Lion."

Virginia's face grew icy as she glared at the new mystic, but they softened as soon as they landed upon the frozen half-mystic, Strategist and fellow Arch-Princess. "Lord Harry, I think I am starting to understand why you are going against Lord Severus. Unfortunately, I do not have that luxury. If you continue to fight against him, I will have no choice but to raise my own sword against you."

Draco hissed back, holding Harry from behind with a grip more powerful than steel and covered his mouth with a gloved hand to keep his charge from replying. "You are pathetic, Lion Princess. You continue to preach your duty when you clearly know what Charm Lord is doing. What he has done to you and your former brother."

At those words, Ron shook off the cloak of Fascination and stood up. "Ginny? Is the ferret right? Can you actually remember anything?"

Virginia looked at the mystic with painful slowness. But in that time, she managed to school her features. Of course she can remember her brother. Even if she can't remember anything else of her past, there is no possible force currently existing which could make her forget about her only anchor. He had been the only one who followed her in her turning. The only one who had managed to find her in the dark expanse of mysticism which entrapped her. She can never forget. But... "No. I don't remember anything. All he has given to me is the gift of eternal life and a reason to be in this world." Not all endings can be beautiful.

The Strategist fell, looking heartbroken as Hermione supported him up from the ground. "Ginny..."

Ginny turned towards the Prince of All Mystics once again. She pulled out Golden Lion from her shoulder, causing more blood to pour out of the wound even as it started to heal. Sheathing her sword, she stood up, clutching her shoulder tightly enough to have blue blood run down her gloved hands. "But I cannot fight you right now. I am still uncertain of what to make of these instances. I do not know what to do or what to say, but Lord Severus is my sanctuary. That cannot be changed. But please, take care of yourselves."

Harry finally managed to remove Draco's hand from his mouth, his eyes reverting back to their normal emerald shade. "But didn't you come to kill me? Snape will be furious if he finds out that you are letting us go."

Ginny shook her head, sparing her Prince a loving glance. "I would gladly take whatever punishment Lord Severus gives me. Meeting you is enough for me." With that, she disappeared.

''Virginia," whispered Ron as his former sister disappeared from their battlefield.

Draco glared at the Strategist even as he kept a vice-like grip on the half-mystic prince. "Even your memory is faulty, weasel."

''What are you doing here, Draco?" asked Hermione as she and Ron stood up. "How did you escape from Lord Severus?"

The glare deepened. "Don't ask questions if you don't want me to answer with another question. That is all you are going to get from me." He then turned towards the red-haired magician standing before the airship. "He has all the answers to your questions. As him. I have more important things to do."

Pure black wings covered a surprised half-mystic, hiding both him and his captor from view. Both Draco and Harry disappeared moments later. The others did not have a chance to object before the two were gone.

So they turned towards the stunned magician. "Fred holds the answers?"

The magician **did** look a lot like both Ron and Ginny.

''Are you sure you don't remember the names of your brother and sister?"

Fred's blue eyes widened but remained unseeing. "I remember. It's faint and I may be wrong, but I remember my brother and sister."

The verdant-robed Strategist clasped the man's forearms with fingers white with tension. Blue eyes stared into the same exact shade of blue, forcing life and awareness back into those mirrors. "Fred?"

''Ronald," whispered the magician from the Magic Kingdom. "And Ginevra. Those were the names of my siblings."

----------

Grey walls, cracked by a strong, unknown force, surrounded him. Mists, like clouds from the Ocean of Stars and as fine as a spider's thread streamed through the scenery. It was as cold as a tomb, but the two figures standing in the middle of all the rubble contrasted with the deathly aura of the setting.

''Why did you--" Harry started to speak, but he was not given the chance to even finish his sentence.

The half-mystic's back hit the wall hard as he was shoved against it. His right arm was immobilized by a black-gloved hand as another hand slammed itself right next to his head. The impact of the hand upon stone was so forceful that minute cracks formed on the foundation.

Steel-grey eyes bored into green, burning with anxiety, anger, relief and the underlying promise of violence. Draco lifted his prey's chin with his free hand, slightly staining the white skin with the blue blood not easily seen against onyx fabric. "Do you have any idea of how difficult is had been to catch you? If I hadn't know any better, I would think that I was the one you were avoiding."

Harry had felt anger, pure and unadulterated, towards Charm Lord. He felt affection as sweet as honey and warm as a flame from Hermione and Ron. From the Black Wing, the half-mystic felt the first true hints of fear.

He well understands what Charm Lord, Hermione and Ron want from him. The former, absolute obedience, the others, love. However, Draco's motivation remains a complete mystery. And if Harry was honest with himself, he would much prefer never knowing.

Unfortunately, he was starting to perceive an inkling of what the platinum-haired mystic was after.

Possession was an important aspect in understanding Charm Lord. In that sense, Draco had inherited that same sense of desire.

And now he desires what is most forbidden.

Harry's posture tense further, thin lips paling even more in his growing distress.

Draco noted the rigid tenseness the other was projecting like waves. He could not suppress the dark smirk starting to form on his lips. Harry was actually scared of him—no—

Harry was beyond terrified.

''You can't stop me," whispered Draco harshly. "You won't allow yourself to stop me, little prince. I have waited for far too long. Charm Lord will never be able to own you again."

Sharp fangs fastened themselves on the sides of Harry's neck, tearing almost savagely. Blood poured amethyst streams from the wound, staining both the pale skin and crimson robes darkly.

''What are you--" started the raven-haired boy. It was then that he realized why he had reason to fear the Messenger.

No matter how strongly Fascination affects others, Draco was not falling. He refused himself the weakness of falling.

''You're mine now," hissed the midnight-blue armored mystic. "There is nothing else you can do to escape me." With a soft growl, Draco forced his lips upon the other, free hand grasping at the crimson hair ribbon and tugging it free from the nape of Harry's neck.

Raven hair spilled across his fingers, meshing with platinum strands of hair. Draco growled and took the younger boy into a brutal, desperate kiss. His tongue forced its way into Harry's mouth and lapped at him. The boy whimpered, struggling to escape but unable to do so as the wall and the other's hard body constricted all movement. Draco pulled him closer as the half-mystic's eyes closed, becoming submissive at the onslaught of intense feelings.

Suddenly, Harry felt indescribable pain and his green eyes opened to stare into narrowed, relentless mercury. The sweet, coppery taste of mystic blood filled their mouths and he guessed it was from his attacker's sharp fangs. The taste was erotic in itself and it alarmed Harry when he found it stimulating. He clung tightly to Draco, his white-gloved hands clutching at the material at the other man's back. However, Harry was instinctively careful of not harming the raven wings. He feared how the other would react if he accidentally wrenched one off.

Draco pulled away panting, licking at the side of his prey's lips as a line of purple streamed out. He smirked, noticing the disheveled state of the other. It was as if Harry didn't know whether to be aroused or panicked at his predicament and was stuck in limbo between the two.

''I have been wanting to do that since I first saw you," hissed the black-pinioned mystic, eyes almost frenzied with need as he grasped the other's hair tightly, baring the pale throat.

Harry was half-delirious and that made him slightly reckless. "Are you talking about the kiss or the awakening of your vampiric tendencies upon my person?"

''Do you have any idea of the control I have to have in stopping myself from taking you at this moment?" shouted Draco rhetorically. He licked at Harry's jawline languidly as if savoring the taste of the boy's skin. It did not taste of sweetness but of silver, raw vanilla and tainted blood. "I should make you suffer for what you have put me through."

The mystic drew cold fingers down Harry's neck, as if willing the blood to start flowing once more. Each touch froze like ice and set him aflame at the same time. Losing his control on reality, Harry didn't notice his eyes begin to burn crimson.

However, Draco did. With one last kiss on Harry's collarbone, he ceased his actions at once. He did not appear to be angry, just disappointed. "Calm down, I'm not going to do anything else for now."

But Harry was not snapping out of his trance. Beads of sweat ran down his temple and his hair started to crackle with the mystic energy once again. At this time, Draco appeared to be more foe than ally, and the fear was bringing forth the dormant energy lying within the Prince of All Mystics.

''Harry?"

''Don't... just... get away from me!" screamed the delirious half-mystic.

Draco did not realize until later that this was the first case of mystical backfire. The rejection of a recipient's enthrallment through Fascination would cause the effects to reverse upon the caster.

So the blonde man did the only thing he could do. Raising his right hand, Draco brought it down hard upon Harry's cheek, causing the other to jolt back to consciousness at the impact.

''I...." started Harry, raising a hand to his throbbing face even as the pain started to ebb.

Unfortunately, Draco did not have the chance to interject a sarcastic comment, for at that time, another violent force knocked him off his feet and sent him against a stone wall.

''Bloody hell! You are an animalistic brute, weasel!!" Draco snarled to the figure who had punched him hard enough to cause even more cracks against the wall. "What did you do that for?"

Hermione was turning blue-white with anger. She is supposed to be a normal, compassionate, clever Arch-Princess, but seeing the Messenger hitting her Prince caused the less attractive side of the girl to manifest itself. "You bastard! What gave you the right to hit Harry like that, Draco? If anything, Ron should have used more force in hitting you! Then everyone would be happy that you would have gone through that wall instead of just against it!"

Ron raised his fist once again, as if getting ready for another punch. If Hermione was angry, then Ron was beyond furious as a magenta-white energy sword formed in his fist. "Don't you touch him again, ferret."

''I see that your vocabulary hasn't grown any, weasel," drawled Draco in reply, but his eyes flashed his rage. "And if you want to know before you start hitting me again, I was trying to revive the little prince."

The Strategist and Arch-Princess gaped at the other mystic before turning towards Harry. Harry was standing up with a solemn expression on his face. "Don't hurt him. He's not lying. It may have been his fault, but he hasn't lied."

A smirk decorated Draco's face as he stood up and brushed himself off. However, the cold look remained in his eyes as he glanced at the Arch-Princess and Strategist. He did notice the miserable look on the Strategist's face and reminded himself to make note of it. "Now that you have finished beating up on me, I have something to report to all of you."

''What is it?" asked Hermione, clearly less angry but no less suspicious.

''Blaise attacked Cedric."

All suspicion was immediately erased from Hermione and Ron's faces. "Did he disappear?"

Draco shook his head. "No, but Cedric is very weak when Blaise was done with him. From what I had heard, the Black Knight is now delirious and half out of his mind. He is also almost completely drained of his mystic energy while Blaise's mystical signature practically rolled off in waves from him. With Cedric's blood, the bastard's power has increased. The very fact that he was able to even hold a candle to our resident madman says quite a lot about him before. And now..."

''He's nearly unstoppable," said Ron in amazement.

''That's not the worst part." Draco scowled in annoyance.

Harry removed his hand from his face, surprised that the pain was completely gone. If there was one thing worth keeping in being a mystic, the extremely fast healing rates would be at the top of the list. But now... Blaise. The second mystic who had "killed" him. The one who helped him escape from Chateau Aiguille. The one who had sent those Shadows after them. A man of contradictions. Lord Severus' General. "What is the worst part, then?"

Steel eyes fixated themselves upon green, all former playfulness burned away by a seriousness not characteristic of Draco. "Blaise is next."

Hermione gasped, growing paler than before. She has heard of how Blaise helped Charm Lord subjugate all of Facinaturu to his will. Later, he had even threatened to dethrone Lord Severus but failed. However, both he and Charm Lord had suffered much in the battle. How will he be now, now that he had absorbed the power of the most powerful knight in the regions? Cedric was half-mad, but he was far from incompetent. "Charm Lord has allowed this? And he has sent him after us?"

Draco sighed in exasperation and shook his head. "You're not thinking, Hermione. Do you actually think that even Snape would endorse this? He wants his progeny back alive and **his**, not as the plaything of another power-hungry traitor. Besides, with Cedric as his most powerful and 'faithful' knight, why would he choose to send a proven betrayer? No, Blaise had done this himself."

''Thank you for the information Draco. I suppose we're going to have to be extra careful now."

''What are you talking about?" asked Draco in an insulted manner. His harsh tone lessened as he glanced at the rose-crowned princess. He still had to tell them about the prophecy but he didn't have a good feeling about it. "I'm staying with you."

''WHAT!?" shouted the Strategist, Arch-Princess and half-mystic.

The look on the other's eyes was predatory as he smiled at the three, especially in the direction of a certain crimson-robed half-mystic. His fingers twitched as he saw the untamed state of Harry's hair, still missing the ribbon in his hand. "You three don't actually think that you'll be able to stand up against the Hunter Knight without my help, do you? Prince Charming there still fights like an amateur and you two weren't much better."

Ron was about to interject something, but Draco had quickly cut him off. "Besides, there is another piece of information I have to tell you."

The three shared a glance before turning back towards Draco. "Information? From who?"

Draco scowled, remembering Seamus, but he decided to degrade the Assassin later in a more bloody, lasting way. "From Seamus, who received his information directly from Blaise.

_A rose's verdant leaves contrasts with its brilliant petals._

_Without bright color, only the leaves, thorns and branches remain. _

_They are not endless, for deception only lasts as long as a timed seduction._

_All will fall to flames and the leaves, despite its serrated edges, is quite vulnerable._

''And that is what he said."

Ron's eyebrows almost shot to his hairline in surprise. "That proves it. Our resident mad man has officially lost his mind. What could he be thinking?!"

''That's what I said, but he insisted that this be delivered to you."

Harry shook his head in contemplation. "If that's so, then there has to be something significant about it."

''So Cedric is mad," whispered the cerulean-eyed girl. "But if he is so mad, then why have everything he has said come true?"

The three men turned back to stare at Hermione, realization flashing before two of them. "The turning of the Prince of All Mystics."

Hermione nodded. "Exactly."

Uncertainty filled Harry's eyes. "What are the three of you talking about?"

_''The affliction of madness can allow for the most terrifying prophecy."_

----------

to be continued...

----------

Disclaimers:

Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling and SaGa Frontier belongs to SquareSoft. I hold no claim on anything.

Notes:

-There's your Draco, people. He'll always be with them now.

-Thank you for your reviews from the bottom of my heart. And especially thank you to Yana5, who had sent me the e-mail which triggered my completion of this chapter.


End file.
